The Other Agent Barton
by mguinan3
Summary: Andrea Barton has gone out of her way to avoid people like the Avengers. And with good reason: Andrea is a mutant. Andrea's hard work is jeopardized when she is ordered to report to her new assignment: Avengers Tower. As Andrea takes up her new post post as SHIELD's liaison to the Avengers themselves, Andrea must work even harder to keep her secret hidden.
1. Chapter 1

Andrea knew the attack was coming from behind even before she felt the minute shift in the air. Sidestepping deftly to her right, she used her assailant's momentum as she grabbed the offending hand and pulled, flipping the attacker over her shoulder to land with a _thud_ at her feet. But they were _fast_. Rolling away from her, they were up onto their feet before Andrea could blink, certainly before she could catch her breath. She didn't have time to block the foot to the chest that sent her flying backwards. She used her own momentum to continue the roll and got herself back up onto her feet and into a defensive stance. To remain on the ground for even a second too long would mean the end. Her attacker was still coming.

Right, left, left, kick, right. She blocked each of the blows, waiting patiently for an opening for an attack of her own.

There it was.

She dropped to the ground like a stone and swung her leg out, taking her assailant's legs out from under them. She knew her opponent would try to roll away so she rolled with them. With a strike to the back she succeeded in aborting the roll and pinned her attacker. She knew before she delivered it that this would be the final blow. Her attacker had slowed. It was barely noticeable, but they'd rolled just a breath too slow.

Bringing her fist down towards their face, she finished it.

The only sound in the room was the sound of heavy breathing.

"I'm impressed, Agent Barton," Natasha Romanov commented from her place on the mat beneath her.

"You shouldn't be, Agent Romanov," Andrea Barton replied with a still breathless laugh, "you're the one that helped train me."

With that, Andrea stood up and and extended a hand to her friend who grabbed it gratefully.

Brushing herself off, Natasha turned to the blonde. "SHIELD fell, Andrea. I'm not technically an agent anymore," she chastised.

"Well, there's a new SHIELD now, Nat," Andrea reminded her, "and plus, you'll always be an agent to me - even if you're a full-time Avenger now," she added teasingly as she walked over to their gear to take a generous drink of water.

"You could've come with me, you know," Nat replied taking her own drink.

"I'm not Avenger material, Nat," Andrea told her once again. This was an old argument between the two.

Natasha had invited Andrea to come with her to the Avengers after she and Captain America had taken down SHIELD. Andrea could understand why her mentor and friend had asked. She knew she was an extraordinary agent – second only the Hawkeye in marksmanship and had just demonstrated her mastery of hand-to-hand against Black Widow herself. Those skills alone would have made her a welcome addition to the Avengers.

But the blonde agent had still flatly refused. Andrea was adamant that she would remain with what remained of SHIELD until ordered to do otherwise. But she, Natasha and Clint all knew that this was just an excuse. The trio had been a team since long before the Avengers and Andrea would have loved nothing more than to keep them all together. But she couldn't risk it. She couldn't be around people like Iron Man, Dr. Banner, Captain America himself and the goddamn god of thunder and continue to avoid detection.

You see, Andrea Barton is a mutant. And only Clint and Natasha knew that.

Clint Barton was nine years old when his niece was born.

With her mother wanting nothing to with her and his brother Barney predictably MIA, the baby girl came to Clint's parents to be cared for. Or, more realistically, Clint himself. Craig and Anne Barton weren't what Clint would call loving or nurturing parents. They couldn't even be bothered to name her. That responsibility, like so many others in his short nine years fell to Clint. Casting around desperately for what to name a baby girl, Clint turned to the only source of wisdom he'd ever trusted – Disney. _Toy Story_ being his current favorite, the girl was christened with the name Andrea "Andy" Frances Barton.

Andy was about nine years old when her powers first manifested. Clint was almost nineteen and still living at home, something that surprised everyone who knew Clint. Everyone in town would have wagered on Clint being out of the house as soon as he turned eighteen, if not earlier. Everyone, that is, except for Andy. She was sure, as sure as she was that Uncle Clint's mac n' cheese had magical properties, that Clint stuck around for her. Not only because he was the one that had raised her up to this point, but because they both knew that with Clint gone, Craig Barton would need a new punching bag. So, Clint stayed.

There was one day in April that found Craig especially angry and particularly drunk. On this particular day, his anger was focused on Andrea.

"What is all this _shit_?!" Craig asked in disgust, taking in the sight _his_ living room full of dolls and pink.

"Grandpa, they're my dolls," Andy responded as if it was obvious, not yet sensing the danger of the situation.

"Get them the hell out of here," he ordered, roughly shoving a pile of doll clothes off of the rocking chair and plopping down into it.

"Hey! Stop it you big dummie!" Andy yelled angrily, moving towards her doll's clothes.

Craig grabbed the girl by the arm and yanked her close so that they were almost face to face. "What did you call me you ungrateful little shit?"

Andrea was too scared to answer.

"Hey, asshole!" came the voice of her beloved Uncle Clint from the entryway. "Get your fucking hands off her!" He strode quickly forward and shoved Craig back and gently pulled Andrea away. He didn't need to tell her to hide… she knew the drill.

Andrea scrambled behind the couch where she was hidden from sight but could still keep her eyes on the situation. She couldn't stand the idea of Clint getting hurt.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own house, boy!" Craig snarled, getting to his feet.

"Then don't fucking touch Andrea and I won't have to, old man!" Clint yelled back, not backing down.

Craig didn't bother with words at that – he just swung. Hard. Clint was clearly surprised by the hit. He either thought his dad too drunk to hit too hard or just wasn't expecting the fight to turn physical so soon, but the hit sent him reeling backwards onto the coffee table which crumbled under his weight. Craig was on him in an instant. Just hitting, and hitting, and hitting.

Andrea couldn't take it anymore. "Stop…." she mumbled. Nobody heard her.

"Stop it." She said a little louder. Still no acknowledgement.

Finally she came out from behind the counter, reached towards her uncle and screamed "STOP!" Suddenly there was a blue flash and Craig went sailing backwards. Clint opened his eyes to see a blue forcefield between him and his father. Looking over at Andrea with wide eyes, it was clear that she had no idea what she'd done because she was still looking at Craig with nothing but hatred and anger in her eyes.

"Stop hurting him!" she yelled. "Don't touch him again!" tears were streaming down her cheeks. The forcefield slowly shrank away as her breathing returned to a somewhat normal level and she lowered her arms. Craig was stunned almost speechless. Almost.

"You… You. You _freak_! Stay away from us. Do ya hear?! Stay away!" and he scurried out of the room.

Andy looked down at her hands, confused. _Freak?_

Clint's soft voice broke into her thoughts, "Andy…?"

"Hey, kiddo," he continued when she wouldn't look at him, "kiddo, I need you to look at me."

She looked up and her eyes filled with tears at what she saw – Clint's bloody face.

"I'm sorry! I tried to stop him! I just wanted him to stop! I just wanted you safe!" she exclaimed, terrified that she might see the hatred in her uncle's eyes that she'd seen in her grandfather's.

"Andy… Andy, I need you to breath deep for me, kid."

So she did. She took deep breaths, mimicking what Uncle Clint was doing. "Good girl."

"Now, don't be scared, kiddo, okay? We'll figure this out, I promise. I'll help you figure this out."

"But… But I'm a freak," she mumbled tearfully.

"Hey," he said sharply, "You're _not_ a freak, do you understand me? You. Are. Not. A. Freak. Never let anyone talk to you that way, okay?"

Andrea offered him a watery smile. "Okay, Uncle Clint."

Smiling at his niece, Clint couldn't help but pull the little girl into the comfort of his arms. _Oh, god,_ he thought as the girl wrapped her arms around his neck, _what the hell am I gonna do?_

Clint considered and quickly discarded the idea of running away with Andrea. He doubted that Craig and Anne would report her missing but he couldn't know what kind of a life he'd be able to provide for his young niece. He knew that his parents didn't love her, and now that she'd presented as a mutant they downright despised her, but at least she still had a roof over her head and clothes on her back.

He was back to square one.

The answer to Clint's worries came a week later from his parents of all people.

"Saint Brutus's School for the Gifted?" Clint asked incredulously, flipping through the pamphlet.

Things in the Barton household had been extremely tense for the past week. Since Andrea's first display of her mutant powers, she had barely came out of her room and, when she did, the only person that would interact with her at all was Clint. Andrea couldn't be more thankful that Clint didn't treat her any differently. It was as if nothing had happened, but he didn't ignore it either. They talked about it, whether it had ever happened before (it hadn't), would it ever happen again (probably) and what to do if it did (no fucking clue…). Her grandparents, however, avoided her like the plague.

So Clint was extremely suspicious when his parents sat him down in the kitchen and presented him for a fancy looking flyer. "What is this shit?" he asked.

"It's a place for people like _her_ ," Anne sneered.

Clint merely rolled his eyes at his mother's attitude.

"You want to just send her away?! No way in hell," Clint argued, carelessly tossing the pamphlet on the table.

"It's not up to you, boy," Craig responded, "those people will be here tomorrow to get her."

"You can't do this!" Clint yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Sweetheart," Anne started, reaching for her son.

"Don't 'sweetheart' me, ma! You can't send Andrea away. You just… you can't," Clint finished lamely. He was starting to feel desperate. He loved that little girl. She was his sister for all intents and purposes. He needed to protect her. He couldn't do that if his asshole parents sent her away.

"The fact of the matter is that she can't stay here, Clinton," his mother replied, ignoring his temper as usual. "We won't allow it. At the school she'll be around people that are like her. She'll learn how to control her… abnormality. She'll learn how to _hide_ it."

"Don't either of you act like you give a shit about her," Clint responded. But he couldn't help but consider his mother's words. _She'll learn control. She'll be around people like her…_ He'd seen how afraid his niece was, both during and in the days after the episode. Maybe his parents were right about this place, despite their skewed reasons for wanting her to go.

Clint dropped back down into his chair defeated. He buried his face in his hands and breathed deeply. _She'll be away from_ them _at least_ , he thought to himself, resigned to his parents' plans for his niece.

"Uncle Clint?" he heard from the doorway.

"Hey there, kiddo," Clint responded, putting a smile on so as not to scare her. "C'mere a second. I wanna talk to you about somethin."

Timidly, Andrea came into the room and stood next to her uncle.

"We'll leave you to it," Craig sneered before dragging his wife out of the room. Clint noted that with his parents gone, Andrea was finally able to relax a little.

"So, listen, kid…." Clint began. Clint wasn't surprised to see the tears beginning as he told Andrea what was about to happen. When he finished, she had tears falling steadily down her cheeks.

"You don't love me anymore?" she asked between her tears.

"Hey, hey, no. That's not it, kiddo, I promise. I'm always gonna love you. But this place will be good for you," he promised.

"Will I see you again?" she asked quietly.

"Are you kidding?" he asked with a forced laugh. "I'll come visit all the time. And we'll write and talk on the phone and everything!"

That got a small smile out of the girl. "Okay, Clint. I'll go…"

With that, Clint wrapped the girl in his arms and hugged her with all his might. Tomorrow she'd go to this school for children like her and everything would be okay.

Clint wouldn't see his niece again until she was seventeen years old.

Andrea had just gotten back to base from her latest solo mission and wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a long nap.

"Excuse me, Agent Barton?" a junior agent whose name she couldn't remember approached her tentatively. Andrea missed the days when she could feign ignorance at someone asking for "Agent Barton," and could point them in the direction of her uncle.

"What can I do for you, agent?" Andrea asked wearily.

"Director Coulson wants to see you in his office, ma'am," he replied. At her raised eyebrow he quickly corrected himself. "I mean agent. Agent Barton, sir," he stammered out. It was fairly common knowledge that Andrea couldn't stand anyone calling her ma'am.

"Thanks, Agent Klein," she replied, gleaning his name from his uniform. "Tell the director I'll be there presently."

"Yes, sir," he answered her, scurrying off back to Director Coulson's office.

 _So much for a long, hot shower_ , she groused to herself as she swung by her quarters to drop her stuff off. As a senior agent she was entitled to a much larger living situation, even on SHIELD 2.0's limited budget. But she preferred the more meager offerings of the junior agent quarters. They were smaller but located closer to the training facilities. The less space between Andrea and the shooting range, the better. In order to get to the director's office, however, she had a ways to go.

She only stayed in her quarters long enough to dump her go-bag on the bed and run her fingers through her hair. She wasn't a vain person by any means but she believed in looking presentable for the director. She pulled her dark blonde hair back into a ponytail and took in her reflection in the small mirror on her desk. Her sea green eyes were alert despite the shadows under her eyes. It'd been a long mission. Deciding that she looked presentable enough for whatever Director Coulson had in mind, she made her way to his office.

There was no one at the reception desk when she arrived so she bypassed it and knocked directly on Coulson's door.

"Come in," came the muffled reply.

Andrea walked in and, out of habit, stood at attention in front of Coulson's desk.

Coulson let out an exasperated sigh at her behavior before he finally addressed her, "At ease, Barton. You know how I wish you wouldn't do that." He leaned back in his chair as she took a seat opposite him.

"And you know how I wish you'd stop telling me to stop doing that," she replied with a broad smile. They'd known each other a long time and were quite close friends. Still, he was the director now and Andrea believed that earned him a certain degree of respect and deference.

"So, your mission…" Coulson began the debrief. Andrea gave her report in short, clipped sentences, using the military-esque shorthand that she'd grown accustomed to over the last ten years.

"Well it sounds like you had it all in hand," Coulson commented after she had finished her report. It wasn't as if he was surprised. With Clint and Romanov gone, Andrea was by far his best agent.

"Yes, sir," Andrea replied.

"Have you talked to Clint lately?" Coulson asked abruptly. He knew he caught her off guard by the slight tensing of her shoulders. It was difficult to catch Andrea Barton off guard.

"I'm sorry, sir?" Andrea questioned.

"Clint. Have you talked to him?" he repeated the question, enjoying his agent's confusion.

"No, sir, I haven't. He's been on missions with the Avengers. Is he okay?" she suddenly asked, sounding worried.

"Yes, yes, he's fine. I'm sorry, Andy, I didn't mean to worry you," Coulson apologized.

Andrea relaxed only fractionally.

"I only ask because it pertains to your next mission," Coulson continued. At the mention of a mission, Andrea sat up straighter, ready to hear the mission parameters.

"What are my orders, sir?" she asked, ever the professional agent (unlike her uncle).

"Actually, I'm reassigning you," Coulson began, trying to gauge his agent's reaction.

"Sir?"

"I'm putting you on an indefinite assignment with another agency," Coulson continued.

Andrea didn't like the sound of this. "What agency, sir?"

"The Avengers."


	2. Chapter 2

Andrea Barton had faced down death more times than she could count. She'd been tortured, shot, blown up and stabbed. She'd taken on terror cells, assassinated despots and fought her way out of the Triskelion as the walls fell down around her. Of course she'd been afraid. She wasn't a robot. But she'd long since learned to channel her feelings and use her fear as a weapon to help keep her alive.

Staring up at the mammoth of steel and glass across the street from the coffee shop at which she sat, Andrea was struggling to tamper down the fear that she felt clawing at her insides. There was no denying that Avengers Tower was as staggering as it was intimidating. _I guess that's the whole point_ , she thought to herself as she took in the scale of the building.

Despite the tower being the permanent (or as permanent as it gets) home of her only family and friend, she'd never once visited them here. They either came to her or she visited them in their various flop houses around the world. She just couldn't risk it. But here she was, sipping a latte, a week away from having to report for duty in the lion's den. _Better get a move on_ , she thought, grabbing her go-bag and tossing her cup in the garbage can. With one last deep breath, she turned her back on the building and headed for the subway.

Director Coulson had given Andrea a week to prepare for her new assignment. Not really knowing _what_ she needed to do to prepare, Andy decided to spend the week crashing in Clint's flophouse in Brooklyn, psyching herself up for what was to come.

Letting herself into the fifth-floor walkup in Bed-Stuy, Andy took in the apartment she hadn't seen in quite some time. The one-bedroom apartment wasn't very big but it was a decent size for Brooklyn. Andy strongly suspected that the basis of its appeal for Clint was the sightlines. From the various windows in the apartment, she could see the entire neighborhood. Andy was pleasantly surprised to see that the place wasn't trashed. The small kitchen to the left had been recently cleaned and the fridge stocked. As she wandered into the bedroom she saw that the bed was made with what she could only assume were clean sheets. Andy guessed that Natasha had threatened him into cleaning once she'd told him of her plans to crash at his place.

"But _why_ do you need to crash at my place?" Clint had asked when she'd called him to give him a heads up.

"Because my last mission was a rough one and I need to get out of SHIELD HQ for a little while," she'd replied, feeling a little bad for lying. Director Coulson had ordered her to keep the details of her next assignment to herself until he could be there to explain her new role on the team himself.

"You okay, kid?" Clint asked, clearly concerned.

Andy rolled her eyes at the old and well-used nickname. "I'm fine, Clint. I just need a change of scenery and Brooklyn is the least annoying place I can think of," she added with a hint of a smile.

"Well, you know you're always welcome, kid. I can't guarantee I'll be around too much - we've got some missions coming up but I'll try to swing by if I can."

"Sure thing, Clint. Don't worry about it. I've got a key so I'll just let myself in. Be safe," she added by way of goodbye.

"Always, kid," he replied, the smile evident in his voice.

Andrea had never been very good at taking time off. While other people might spend their first day of vacation binge-watching Netflix or hanging out with friends, Andy spent her first day in Brooklyn studying the Avengers' personnel files. It wasn't as if she didn't know this stuff already, but with her new assignment with them fast approaching, she wanted to reacquaint herself.

After a few hours of reading over files, Andrea began to go a little stir crazy. Just as she'd expected, she wasn't learning anything she didn't already know and the more she read, the more anxious she got about the impending assignment. It was becoming clear to her that she was going to have to work harder than usual to keep her power under control around the heroes. Sighing, Andrea pushed away from the small table in the kitchen and began to pace the apartment.

Not used to feeling this agitated about an op, Andy decide to do what she did best - beat something up. Quickly changing into some workout gear, Andrea locked up the apartment and jogged down the stairs. There was a little old gym not far from Clint's apartment that she and Clint used the few times that they were staying in the flophouse for any period of time. It wasn't very busy and Clint trusted the owner. That was good enough for Andrea. Deciding a jog would clear her mind, Andrea took off running.

It wasn't as if she _never_ used her powers. There were times where just a little burst of energy had shielded her or a team member on an operation. And there were a few close-quarter fights that might have gone the other way without a small energy burst pushing her opponent back and buying her the extra second she needed. These occasional bursts were few and very far between. Not only that but they were usually done unconsciously. It was as if her body knew she needed the extra protection and acted on its own.

 _And that's what you're most afraid of, isn't it?_ Andy thought as she ran, _losing control…_ At SHIELD it had been easy. The few times she'd used her powers around other agents had been so quick and so small that they hadn't been noticed. The Avengers would definitely notice.

Andrea slowed down as she approached the gym. The sign for Georgio's Gym was worn and nondescript - painted onto the brick outside the door. Andrea smiled as she approached. Clint had been bringing Andrea to Georgio's since she was seventeen. It's where he and Natasha had honed her fighting skills to what they were now.

As she went inside she was greeted with the familiar sounds and smells she'd come to associate with _home_. Over the past ten years, it'd become the closest thing she had to a home aside from Clint's flop.

The gym was one large space with exposed brick walls and gleaming wood floors surrounding the machinery and mats. Speaking of machinery, Andrea noted that some newer pieces of exercise equipment had been added but was pleased to see that the more classic fixtures like good old fashioned dumbbells, punching bags and a boxing ring still dominated the space.

As she approached the desk to sign in, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Georgio himself sitting there. He was elderly now, but that didn't make him any less of the ladies man he'd been in his prime. Andrea loved him.

"Hey, Georgio," Andrea greeted with a smile.

Georgio looked up and smiled when he saw Andrea. "Why if it isn't my little beanstalk!" he exclaimed as he got out of his seat and came around the counter for a hug. Andrea loved his hugs. He was a big guy and when he hugged, he enveloped her in his arms and squeezed as hard as he could. Only Clint gave better hugs.

"I'm not a beanstalk anymore, Georgio. I grew up," Andy replied as she pulled away.

"You'll always be that scrawny, moody teenager to me," he teased back. "What are you doing in town?" he asked.

"Just taking some time off," she replied easily. Georgio knew she, Clint and Natasha worked for the government but, for his safety and theirs, he didn't know specifics.

Knowing that Andy got antsy with time off, Georgio wasted no time in ushering her into the gym. "Well, little lady, you know where everything is - have at it."

"Thanks, Georgio," Andy replied with a smile. Giving Georgio a quick kiss on the cheeck in thanks, Andy set off for one of the punching bags. She stopped by one of the supply lockers to grab some tape for her hands and continued towards an open bag.

Out of habit, Andy took note of everyone in the gym. The gym wasn't typically very busy but there were a few people in there tonight, Andy noted. None of them seemed to be an immediate threat but she did take note of the powerful punches being thrown by a man at the other end of the gym. She couldn't make out what he looked like as his back was to her but she was impressed.

Shaker her head in an attempt to clear it, Andy set about wrapping her hands and wrists. Walking up to the old, worn bag, Andy started with a few gentle jabs to get the bag going. As always, she started off slowly - left, right, right, left, right. After a few minutes, though, Andy set about doing what she had come here to do. She focused all of her energy, all of her thoughts on the bag. She took her fears and uncertainties and beat them into the bag. She let her anxieties melt away as she pummeled the bag. With every hit, it seemed as if a little piece of her fear was chipped away.

She'd worked up quite a good sweat after about an hour and was pretty relaxed when she heard from her left, "Excellent form." As she paused her workout and glanced over, the mystery man continued, "Looks like you've got a hell of a right hook."

"I do," she replied, focusing back on the bag, "You should see what it feels like when it connects with your face." Expecting that to get rid of her unwanted guest, she was surprised when he just started laughing. So surprised that she turned fully to look at him only to find herself face to face with Captain fucking America.

 _Shit._


	3. Chapter 3

Steve Rogers had been coming to Georgio's Gym since he was thawed out five years ago. It had a classic atmosphere to it yet didn't feel out of place in the modern world, much like he still did sometimes. Plus, since he found himself living most of the time in Avengers Tower, Georgio's gave him an excuse to spend some time in Brooklyn.

Steve was well into his workout when he heard Georgio exclaim from the desk, "Why if it isn't my little beanstalk!" Glancing over, Steve saw him embracing a beautiful blonde woman about his own age. His super serum enhanced vision allowed him to take in her willowy yet powerful figure, piercing green eyes and broad smile as she embraced Georgio. Steve had been coming to Georgio's for awhile and had never seen him act that way with anyone. Georgio always gave him a warm greeting but never like that.

Curious about the woman that got such a reaction out of Georgio, Steve kept his eye on her as she made her way into the gym. He watched as she went to a supply locker for tape and as she made her way towards an older punching bag. Steve smiled in surprise at that, having expected her to head for one of the more modern and fancy machines.

As she stepped up to the bag, he was again surprised to see her scan the room. This was more than just a casual glance. He knew what someone looked like when they were scanning for a threat.

Steve turned his back so he could concentrate on his own workout. As he wound down and began unwrapping his hands, he chanced a glance over to the mystery woman. He was surprised to see her going just as strong as when she started. Intrigued, his feet began moving before he could think better of it. He stopped as he reached the edge of the mat she was on. Steve stood mesmerized as he watched her movements. It was almost as if she was dancing.

"Excellent form." It was only her pausing her workout that made him realize he'd spoken aloud. He noticed her irritated scowl as she glanced in his direction. Always a glutton for punishment, he pressed on, "Looks like you've got a hell of a right hook."

He heard her huff before she replied, "I do. You should see how it feels when it connects with your jaw." Steve couldn't help but laugh at that. Bringing his hand up to rub at his jaw, he replied, "Maybe one day I will."

It was then that he noticed the look on her face. She still looked irritated at being interrupted but there was the faintest hint of fear in her eyes. At a loss as to what was causing it, he plowed on, "I'm Steve," he introduced, holding out his hand.

It took her just a second, but she seemed to shake herself back into the present and placed her smaller hand in his, "Andrea," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Andrea," Steve replied, letting go of her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Steve," she replied, moving away from him to start taking off her wrappings.

For some reason, Steve didn't want this Andrea to leave on that note. She still seemed irritated and a little afraid of him. She seemed to sense his hesitation when she turned back to him and said, somewhat curtly, "Do you need something?"

Steve put on his most charming smile and replied, "Oh, I just wanted to come over here and save that bag there from certain destruction."

"Huh?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You were a minute away from murdering that bag," he answered with a smile.

"Well, that's what I came here to do," she replied, unwrapping her hands.

"So, it's premeditated then?" he asked, clearly feigning shock. Andrea's lips quirked up slightly at that.

"Guilty," she responded with a smile of her own. Not knowing why, she pressed on, "I've got some time off work and I don't generally do time off well so I thought I'd come down here and beat something up."

"And how's that going for you?" he asked kindly.

"So far so good," she replied, grabbing a nearby towel and wiping down her face. "Anyway, I should be going," she added quickly, "It was nice to meet you, Steve."

"You too, Andrea," Steve replied, surprised at how disappointed he was to see her go. "I'll see you around, I hope," he couldn't help but add.

Andrea was smirking when she turned around and replied, walking backwards, "Count on it."

 _How could I have been so moronic?!_ Andrea thought to herself as she jogged back to Clint's apartment. '" _Count on it"'?! What the hell was I thinking?!_ Andrea pushed herself to run harder in an attempt to shut off her thoughts. _You were thinking he had a cute laugh and he made you smile,_ her brain supplied unhelpfully. By the time Andrea neared Clint's apartment, she was practically sprinting. Deciding she was still too keyed up to head upstairs, Andrea passed by the apartment and kept running. A jog along the water would clear her head.

 _Should I avoid Georgio's for the week?_ She wondered as she ran. As she neared the Navy Yard, Andrea considered the pros and cons of simply avoiding this problem for as long as she could. She'd been assigned to the Avengers indefinitely so God knows she'd have her fill of Captain America - _Steve,_ she corrected herself - soon enough. That said, one more week of him probably wouldn't hurt. _In fact_ , she thought, _it might help soften the ground for when she showed up at Avengers Tower._ _Plus,_ she decided, _Georgio's is as close to a home as I have and I'm not avoiding it because I'm jumpy about Captain Smiles-a-lot._

When she finally got to the water's edge, Andrea bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She'd pushed herself hard and felt better for it. As she jumped in place a little bit to keep her muscles warm, Andrea came to a decision. _Like it or not, I'm assigned to the Avengers. Time to stop being scared of what might happen to me personally and treat this like any other assignment - professionally._ "Time to put on your big girl pants and kick some ass, Barton," she mumbled to herself, turning around to jog back to the apartment.

By the time Andrea got back to the apartment, it was dark out. Letting herself in, she headed straight to the kitchen to scrounge up some food. She found some canned soup that would do and heated it up quickly, eating it over the sink. Turning and heading towards the bathroom once she'd finished, Andrea decided that a long hot shower was what she needed before falling into bed for the night.

That night, the nightmares came.

Andrea woke up in a cold sweat. She hastily threw the blankets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Glancing at the window, Andrea judged that it was just before dawn. Getting out of bed, she stumbled into the bathroom where she quickly splashed cold water on her face. Andrea was no stranger to nightmares, she'd had them since she was twelve. But she hadn't had one in a little while and this had been a bad one.

Andrea needed to get out of the apartment. Dressing quickly in the pre-dawn light, Andrea grabbed her keys and set off into the morning. There was a 24-hour diner that she loved not far from Clint's building so she flipped up the hood of her jacket and set off in that direction.

Andrea reached _Mo's_ quickly, pulling the door open and stepping into the familiar fluorescent lighting. Out of habit, she headed for a booth in the back corner, one with sight lines of the entire restaurant.

"Hello there, sweetie," the waitress - Margo - greeted as she approached the table. "You're up early," she commented as she set down an empty coffee cup and held up a pot of coffee in question.

"Yes, ma'am," Andrea responded to both inquiries.

"Can I get you anything to eat, hun?" Margo asked once she'd filled Andrea's coffee cup.

"Just some toast for now, thanks," Andrea responded, unsure if her stomach could handle much more than that after the night she'd had.

"Coming right up," Margo responded with a smile, before walking off. Once she was gone, Andrea settled back into the booth and let the familiar sounds and smells of the diner soothe her troubled mind. When Margo brought her toast a few minutes later, she munched thoughtfully on it as she let her mind wander. She let her eyes droop as her mind settled.

Even with her eyes closed, Andrea kept her senses attuned to the surroundings. That's why she heard him approaching before she heard him speak. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me." Andrea cracked an eye open to find Steve Rogers himself standing before her with an amused smirk on his face.

Andrea smirked back in response. "I believe the record will show that I was here first. So maybe you're the one following me," she teased.

Steve grinned at her. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, indicating the empty seat across from her.

"Help yourself," Andrea replied, sitting up straighter in her seat. With that, Steve slid into the booth. Despite the smile on his face, however, Andrea could tell he was tense. More tense than before he sat down. It only took her a second to realize why. "Don't worry," she said softly. Upon his questioning look she went on, "We're clear. I'll watch your back," she surprised herself by adding.

At that, Steve's smile became more genuine and he relaxed into his seat. "Are you military?" he asked kindly. Before Andrea could answer, Margo came back to the table.

"You didn't tell me you were a friend of Steve's, young lady," she chastised Andrea jokingly.

Andrea just smiled in response as Steve addressed the waitress. "Hey Margo," he greeted with a smile of his own. "How ya doin' this morning?" _He's so kind_ , Andrea thought as she watched him interact with the older woman.

"The usual please?" Steve requested.

"You got it, sugar," she replied with a smile.

As Margo walked away, Andrea took a deep breath to calm her burgeoning nerves. _If we're going to be working together, he has to be able to trust me_ , she thought, steeling herself for the forthcoming conversation.

"I'm a SHIELD agent," she blurted out in response to his question once Margo was out of earshot. She saw Steve stiffen almost imperceptibly.

"You're a SHIELD agent," he repeated stiffly.

"Yes. I report directly to Director Coulson," she replied matter of factly. _I have to be delicate here…_ she thought as she plowed on. "I'm in between missions and Brooklyn is as close to a home as there is for me. Bumping into you was a coincidence," she shrugged at the last bit.

"So you _do_ know who I am, then," Steve said, mostly to himself.

"I've been a SHIELD agent for a long time, Steve, and I was at the Triskelion. I know who you are," Andrea replied.

Steve relaxed slightly at the last part. "And you're not assigned to watch me?" he asked cautiously. _Hopefully._

Andrea snorted. "I don't take babysitting jobs, Steve," she replied easily.

Just then, Margo arrived with a huge stack of fluffy pancakes, sausages, eggs and toast. Steve smiled somewhat bashfully at Andrea's impressed look. "Fast metabolism," he mumbled.

As he poured syrup over his pancakes, Andrea broke the silence. "So… we're good?" she asked.

He looked up at her and studied her face for a minute. Andrea tried not to shift under his penetrating blue gaze. He must have approved of what he saw, because he replied with a smile, "We're good," before stuffing his face with pancakes, making Andrea laugh.

After a few minutes of somewhat comfortable silence, Andrea felt herself begin to settle again. She continued to nibble on her toast while Steve plowed through his food.

"You're not eating?" his voice broke through the quiet she'd managed to gain in her mind once more. The strange thing was, however, that she didn't mind it. If anyone else kept interrupting her quiet time like this, she'd be irritated as hell. But with Steve, it was almost like his voice was compatible with her quiet. Not wanting to examine those feelings too closely, she turned her attention back to Steve's question.

"Oh...um...no," she admitted, "I had a rough night last night so… I'm not really hungry. I was just grabbing a quick bite before going to Georgio's."

"Come on, you can't go to the gym on an empty stomach," he chastised.

"I'll be fine, Steve," she assured him.

Steve hesitated a moment before speaking. "You know," he began delicately, "I have rough nights, too. Used to have them all the time. It's actually how I found this diner." Andrea remained silent as Steve took a drink of his orange juice. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before he seemed to come back to himself and continue his story. "The point is. You can't go to the gym and push yourself the way I saw you do yesterday with only toast in your stomach," he finished. Andrea had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn't _exactly_ what he'd wanted to say but accepted it with a nod. They didn't know each other well enough to pry into each others' lives.

When Margo came back to the table to refill Andrea's coffee she ordered herself a bowl of oatmeal, earning a pleased smile from Steve. Struggling not to smile in return, Andrea slumped down in her seat and did a quick scan of the diner just to give her eyes something else to look at.

The two sat in silence while Steve finished his food and Andrea sipped her coffee. When Margo set the bowl of steaming oatmeal in front of Andrea, she tucked right into it in deference to Steve. If he gave her a self satisfied smirk at her satisfied moan at the first bite, she didn't acknowledge it and just kept on eating.

As the two finished up their food, Margo came back with the bill. When Andrea went to pay, Steve put his hand on hers. "Please," he said, looking at her with puppy dog eyes, "let me." With that, he laid a few bills on the table.

"Fine," Andrea acquiesced, "but only because you made me get oatmeal."

With a chuckle, Steve got up from the table, waved goodbye to Margo and led the way out of the diner. When the duo were standing on the sidewalk outside, Steve turned to Andrea. "You said something about Georgio's?" he asked, zipping up his jacket.

"Yeah. After the night I had, I need to hit some stuff," Andrea admitted, stuffing her hands in her pockets in deference to the early morning cold. It was still early but the sun was finally up. Georgio's would be open by now for the early risers.

"Mind if I join you? I was planning to go anyway," Steve asked.

It was Andrea's turn to study him now. She really hadn't anticipated spending this much time with Captain America. _But it's not Captain America, is it?_ Her brain supplied, _It's_ Steve.

"Okay," she answered softly.

The smile he gave her in return was worth it.

They walked along towards Georgio's in companionable silence. Andrea was still quite tense from her nightmares and Steve seemed to be respecting her need for quiet. When they reached the gym, Andrea shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Thanks for breakfast, Steve," she said lamely.

Steve smiled. "You're welcome Andrea."

"I'm just gonna…" she gestured to the punching bag she'd used yesterday. "I'd rather be alone for this," she finished.

"No problem," he responded, "Let me know if you wanna spar or something," he added with a smile.

Andrea couldn't contain her snort. "You're not quite ready for me yet, Steve," she joked back.

Laughing, Steve walked off to start his own workout, leaving Andrea on her own. With a sigh, she grabbed the tape and wrapped her hands just as she had yesterday. With Steve gone and nothing else occupying her thoughts, Andrea's mind couldn't help but drift back to her nightmares. Hoping this workout would help as others had in the past, she squared off with the bag.

She focused all of her energy, all of her thoughts and all of her pain on the bag. She took her fears and uncertainties and beat them into it. As she settled into her routine, her mind drifted once more to the dark thoughts swirling in her mind.

 _You freak! Stay away from us._

Right - Right - Left - Right

 _You'll be found out..._

Left - Right - Left - Right

 _They'll send you away again..._

 _ **Right - Left - Left - Right**_

 _They'll find you again…_

 _ **BAM - BAM - BAM**_

Even Andrea knew that she was spiraling out of control. But she couldn't stop.

"You hit that thing any harder and it'll fly across the room." Andrea suddenly came back to herself and found herself drenched in sweat and breathing erratically. "I have some experience with that."

Andrea looked over her shoulder in search of the source of the voice that'd interrupted her spiral. She really shouldn't have been surprised to find Steve standing there, a concerned look on his face.

"Steve," she breathed, her emotions still very much on the surface.

Steve was just finishing his workout when he happened to glance in Andrea's direction. His eyebrows winged up when he saw just how hard she was hitting the bag. He was moving towards her before he even realized he'd made the decision to. As he got closer to her, he was concerned about the look he saw on her face. Her breathing was harsh to his sensitive ears and she was covered in an impressive amount of sweat for such a short workout.

Not wanting to startle her by grabbing the bag (which was putting an impressive amount of strain on the chain holding it to the ceiling), he spoke up instead.

"You hit that thing an harder and it'll fly across the room," he said keeping his tone light. From his position on her left he could see her struggle to come back to herself. When she didn't respond, only continued to stare at the bag, he tried again, "I have some experience with that."

As if just realizing she wasn't alone, Andrea turned her head towards him. "Steve," she said softly. When her eyes met his, Steve could clearly see that she was trying like hell to mask an unknown pain. He found himself wanting to take that pain away from her.

"Andrea?"

"Steve, I…" she began before a sort of sob wracked her body. She looked up at the ceiling in what Steve assumed was an attempt not to cry. Steve took a step toward her.

"Andrea…" he began but stopped as she stepped back.

"Jesus, I'm sorry, I…" she took a deep breath and looked at Steve again. "This usually helps," she gestured to the still swinging bag.

"What does?" he asked.

"Beating something up," she responded with a weak smile. Steve returned the smile, albeit a little more grimly that he probably meant to.

Steve looked off across the gym, lost in thought. Nodding his head as if deciding something, he turned his head back to Andrea. "Maybe I can help with that," he suggested.

"With what?" Andrea asked, eyebrows raised and eyes still wet.

"Beating something up," he suggested with his kind eyes and a dazzling smile. When Andrea didn't answer, just continued to look at him questioningly he continued, "Sometimes it's easier to stay out of your head if there's someone there to keep you on track."

Andrea was taken aback at Steve's words. Could he really be that observant? Something must have shown on her face because his smile dimmed slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I have a little experience with this," he said with a shrug, not quite meeting her eyes. "Trust me?" he added.

No one was more surprised than Andrea when she responded, "Okay."

Steve studied her for a moment before nodding and replying, "Okay then." He moved over to the bag and stood behind it, put his hands on each side, holding it steady, and met her eyes. "Just focus on the bag. And if you can't do that, focus on me."

Andrea snorted. "Focus on you the guy I barely know?"

Steve took a small step back and held his arms wide, "Hey, you're the one who said you trust me."

Now it was Andrea's turn to feel nervous, a feeling she just wasn't used to. "I don't know why," she admitted.

"I know," he replied softly.

The two of them gazed at each other for a moment. _What the hell am I doing?_ she thought as she looked at Steve's innocent, hopeful expression.

Shrugging off her insecurities for the time being, Andrea squared off with the bag, raised her firsts, and took her first swing.

Despite her knowledge that it was Captain America holding the bag, she pulled her first few punches. Steve seemed to realize this when, after a few hits, he challenged, "Ya know… I'm stronger than I look. I can take a punch."

Andrea rolled her eyes at the amused look on his face. He was messing with her! _Two can play at that game_ , she thought as she squared off once again. This time she didn't hold back.

 _Right - Left - Left - Left - Right_

"Not bad," Steve acquiesced after Andrea stepped back for some water after about twenty minutes. His look of amusement had been replaced by one that looked almost impressed. But Andrea could see the teasing glint was still in his eyes.

Caught up in the moment, in the relaxed nature of the situation - a feeling she hadn't felt since arriving in Brooklyn - Andrea turned to Steve and challenged, "One more round. If I really impress you, I win."

"Win what?" he asked with a slightly flirtatious smile, stepping in close.

Feeling daring, Andrea replied, "Win breakfast."

Steve smiled in response. "And if I win?"

"What do you want?" Andrea asked, taking another drink of water.

Steve thought for a moment. "A sparring match," he replied.

Andrea hadn't been expecting that. Shrugging to hide her surprise, Andrea responded, "If that's what you want."

After their water break was over, the duo stepped back to the bag. Steve grabbed it once again as Andrea squared off. Andrea started with a few basic punches, nothing that Steve wouldn't be expecting. Then, Andrea took a deep breath and focused on her power. She pulled just a little bit of it and focused it on her fists. This time, when she punched the bag, Steve was forced to take a step back.

For a moment Steve didn't say anything. They just stared at each other with the bag still swinging between them. Andrea was starting to struggle to maintain the neutral expression on her face. _What the hell was I thinking?_ She thought, starting to panic. _This was a terrible mistake…_

Suddenly, Steve chuckled and shook his head. "Well… a deal's a deal," he said, the chuckle still in his voice. Grabbing the bag, he leaned on it, making it and Steve swing closer to Andrea. "Guess I owe you breakfast," he continued with a smile and a wink. Andrea knew she was blushing but thankfully Steve didn't acknowledge it.

"So how about tomorrow?" Steve asks, pulling himself off the bag and out of Andrea's space.

"Tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steve replied with a shrug and a shy smile. "I know a great coffee shop down by the Navy Yard. We could run there then grab some food?"

Andrea surprised herself by responding, "O-Okay."

The smile that bloomed on Steve's face was infectious. Andrea found herself grinning in return.

As Steve turned his back to untape his hands Andrea found herself wondering, _Did I just make a date with Captain America?_


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning found Andrea pacing nervously in front of _Mo's Diner_ as she waited for Steve to arrive for their date. Andrea wasn't even sure that this qualified as a date. It's not like she'd ever really been on one before. Her experience with men consisted primarily of physical relationships as a mode of stress relief. Having joined SHIELD at seventeen, she just hadn't had the time or inclination. Yet here she was, waiting for Steve so they could have breakfast together. _Sounds like a date to me_ , she groused to herself.

Her silent rant was interrupted by a much too chipper "Hey! Good morning!" Turning, Andrea saw Steve striding up, a big smile on his face. _Oh boy_ , Andy thought as she couldn't help but grin back.

"Morning," she replied, uncharacteristically nervous around him.

"How'd you sleep?" Steve asked smoothly. At Andrea's raised eyebrow, he plowed on, flustered, "I mean, just, uh… yesterday you said you'd had a bad night and I was concerned and-"

"Steve?" Andrea interrupted, taking pity on him.

"Yeah?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.

"I slept fine," she offered with a small smile.

"Oh, uh… good. That's good," he responded, obviously still uncomfortable.

"Shall we go?" Andrea asked, comforted that she wasn't the only nervous one.

Steve nodded in response. "It's a little ways to the Navy Yard area. Sure you can run that far?"

Andrea rolled her eyes at him. "Care to make it interesting?" Andrea asked, a hint of challenge in her voice.

Steve laughed. "What is it with you and making bets?" he asked.

Andrea smiled and shrugged. "Is that a 'no'?" she challenged.

"No…" Steve drawled as he started to jump around to warm up. "What's the bet?" he asked with a smile.

"Simple," Andy replied, "loser pays."

"Well in that case…" he started and then took off down the street.

Andrea bolted after him, laughing. "Cheater!" she hollered.

Andrea caught up with him quickly - he must have slowed down for her. She'd always been fast - faster still since… Well, since them - but she still had to push herself to keep up with him.

They kept a steady pace together - not talking - just running. Andrea was grateful for it. She didn't enjoy running and talking at the same time. She felt oddly comfortable around Steve - in a way she hadn't been comfortable with anyone besides Clint and Nat. Maybe this assignment won't be so bad, she mused as they neared the waterfront.

Steve broke their comfortable silence with, "The coffee shop is straight ahead - about half a mile." _He doesn't even sound winded_ Andrea lamented.

Not one to back down easily, Andrea kicked it into high gear and took off ahead of Steve. She could hear him laugh as she did so. She could hear him just behind her seconds before he easily passed her. _Damn it!_ she thought as she pushed herself even harder. _What am I doing?! Killing myself trying to beat Captain America in a foot race?!_

Finally, though, she started to slowly gain ground. Steve must have heard her because she saw him glance over his shoulder, a mildly surprised look on his face.

Just as they were about to reach the coffee shop, Steve came to a dead stop. Andrea had too much momentum to stop right away and inadvertently beat Steve to the shop.

Andrea immediately bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she felt her breathing start to return to normal. She couldn't help but smile when Steve's shoes made their way into her field of vision.

"You're fast," Steve observed.

Andrea stood up and faced him, smile still in place. "And _you're_ a cheater," she shot back at him.

Steve's face morphed into one of fake outrage. "Me?! Are you really going to accuse Captain America of being a cheater?"

"No," Andrea responded, taking a step closer, "But I'll accuse the hell out of Steve."

Something flashed on Steve's face at that. It was some mix of surprise and… gratitude? Steve cleared his throat after a moment, coming back to himself. "Anyway, how can you accuse me of cheating? _You_ won!"

"You _let_ me win. Plus, there's absolutely no way that I could come close to keeping up with you in a fair fight," Andrea replied.

Steve shrugged, "You might surprise yourself… And me for that matter." Before Andrea could respond to that, Steve continued, "And besides, my ma would box my ears if I let a woman pay for a date," he said, turning towards the cafe.

 _So this is a date._ Andrea couldn't decide if the feelings she was having at that were excitement or terror. _It really could go either way._ Andrea thought as she too turned towards the cafe.

"Shall we?" Steve asked, gesturing towards the cafe.

Andrea smiled. "After you," she waved her hand towards the building.

Steve looked like he wanted to argue at that. Shrugging, he walked the few steps to the door and held it open for her. _Such a gentleman,_ she thought as she walked inside.

The cafe was on the small side but had a nice homey feel to it. _I suppose that's why Steve likes it,_ she thought as they made their way to the register to order.

They made polite conversation as they waited for their drinks and made their way towards the outdoor seating once they had them.

Sitting across the table from each other, Andrea took a moment to take in her surroundings. Besides her habitual scan for threats, Andrea appreciated the calm of this area. She had a great view of the water and of the people milling around. Turning back towards Steve, she smiled. She knew he would watch her back just as she watched his. He allowed her to relax in a way she hadn't been able to with other men.

"What?" Steve asked, catching her smile, smiling himself.

Andrea shrugged to cover her blush at being caught staring. _Am I really blushing over this guy?!_

"Nothing," she hedged, looking down at her iced coffee. She didn't see Steve grin. _Stop being weird, you moron..._

"So tell me something, Andrea," Steve said, thankfully breaking Andrea out of her self-flagellating head.

"What?" she asked when he didn't elaborate.

Steve shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. "Anything. I don't know anything about you and I… I'd like to," he finished, no doubt a little lamer than he'd intended.

Now it was Andy's turn to grin across the table. Deciding to rescue him, she said, "I can't whistle."

"What?" he asked, looking up at her with a mildly confused look on his face.

"You wanted to know about me," Andrea shrugged. "I can't whistle," she repeated.

Steve smiled. "Oh… Really?" he asked with a laugh in his voice.

"Really," she confirmed. Steve chuckled. "Your turn," Andrea pointed out after a moment.

"Oh, okay. That's fair. Um…" he trailed off.

"What's your favorite color?" Andrea supplied.

"Green," Steve repeated with a smile.

Andrea made a noise of surprise. "Not read, white or blue?"

"Nah," Steve responded, waving a dismissive hand, "that's just the uniform."

Andrea nodded her understanding. _Makes sense,_ she thought to herself.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Steve began. At Andrea's raised eyebrow, he went on, "What do you do at SHIELD?"

Andrea considered him. _It's a fair question,_ she decided. "I'm a Specialist," she responded simply, knowing that he'd know all that her job entailed.

To her surprise and relief, he didn't appear to be thinking any less of her for it. He would know she'd killed people - was dangerous. But he didn't seem to care. He simply nodded and moved on - which Andrea was grateful for.

They talked about everything and nothing - they stayed on safe topics and didn't delve into topics Andrea and Steve didn't want to share. It would needlessly complicate things. She just couldn't let him in too much. He'd already weaseled his way past a number of her defenses.

Despite the self-imposed restrictions on conversation, Andrea found herself really enjoying the day. She enjoyed talking to Steve - he made her laugh more sitting at that table with him than she'd probably laughed all year. She even found herself wanting to tell him things she hadn't really told anyone - things about her past or her family.

As if reading her thoughts, during a lull in conversation, Steve said, "I really like talking to you, Andrea."

Andrea blushed and softly replied, "Me too, Steve." Their eyes met at that moment and Andrea felt her blush deepen.

Steve opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a loud blaring coming from Steve's pocket causing both Andrea and Steve to jump. Cursing softly, Steve pulled a high-tech looking phone from his pocket and scrambled to shut off the alarm.

"Sorry," he murmured at Andrea before turning his eyes to the screen. Whatever he saw on the screen couldn't have been good news as, upon reading it, Steve's face grew tight and his eyes serious.

"Bad news?" Andrea asked as Steve finished reading the message and pocketed his phone.

"Yeah," Steve started, standing up and looking extremely apologetic, "I mean, no… I mean… I have to go," he finished, the apology practically dripping from his words.

Andrea stood up with him. Smiling, she said, "Don't worry, Steve, I know what you do for a living," she added with a wink.

Steve grinned at that, but then his face grew somber, as if realizing something. "I don't know how long I'll be gone," he said regretfully. Something twisted in Andrea's gut knowing she was going to have to lie to him, that this might be the last time she sees him before her assignment starts.

"Well," she began, "if you're back by Sunday night, I'll be around." She managed a small, unconvincing smile.

"And then what?" Steve asked, stepping closer.

Andrea shrugged. "And then… on to the next assignment."

"But what about this?" Steve asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"Steve-"

"I know you feel it, too, Andrea," he began. "We owe it to ourselves to see where it goes."

"You don't know _anything_ about me," she shot back, slightly irritated.

Steve's smile was small. "I'd like the chance to change that."

Andrea was struggling to maintain her composure. "Steve, I don't think that's a good idea," she responded.

"Andrea-" he was suddenly interrupted by more noise from his pocket. "Fuck," he cursed as he silenced the device again. "Look," he tried again, "I want-"

"Steve," Andrea interrupted.

"What?" he asked.

Andrea stepped in close then, standing up on her toes, she touched her lips to his cheek. After lingering a moment, enjoying the heat of his face near hers, before pulling away.

He looked suitably flustered when she took in his face. _He's adorable,_ she thought as she took a small step back.

"Go," she urged, "Be safe."

Steve nodded. "I _will_ see you again, Andrea," he promised as he turned to leave, starting to jog away.

Not knowing what possessed her, Andrea called out to him, "Steve!"

When he turned to look at her with a curious look on his face, she shouted with a blush, "My friends call me Andy."

Steve's grin could have powered all of Brooklyn. "See you later, Andy," he called before turning to run off.

 _Oh boy,_ Andrea thought, turning to walk back to Clint's apartment. _This complicates things._


	5. Chapter 5

It'd been three days since her date with Steve and Andrea was loathe to admit that she missed him. At the very least she could admit that she was bored without him around. He'd been a good source of company in her otherwise solitary downtime.

 _It's not as if you'll never see him again,_ she groused to herself as she walked home from Georgio's Gym Saturday night. She'd spent much of the past three days at the gym. If she wasn't there then she was either at Mo's Diner or jogging along the waterfront. It would take a very specific kind of torture for her to admit that she'd been keeping an eye out for him the whole time.

She could admit that he'd gotten under her skin despite her best efforts. But Andrea Barton is too good of an agent to let that affect her performance on an assignment. _This doesn't change my assignment one bit,_ she told herself as she walked up the stairs to Clint's apartment.

It was when she reached the top of the stairs that she knew something was off. Things were different than when she'd left. She stood as still as possible as she tried to pinpoint what it was. Then she heard it - faint voices in Clint's apartment. Andrea quickly reached behind her and retrieved the knife she had concealed at the small of her back.

Holding it in a reverse grip, she slipped down the hall to the door of the apartment. Andrea steadied her breathing and reached for the doorknob. She had to be fast. Clint never oiled his hinges or locks so there was no way to slip silently into the apartment. Whoever was in there would hear her coming.

Andrea gripped the doorknob, turned it quickly and slipped inside, knife ready. The sight that greeted her instantly made her blood boil - Clint lounging on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, idly flipping through channels on the TV. As Andrea entered, he looked up and said, "Hey, kiddo."

"Don't you _dare_ 'hey, kiddo' me, Clinton Francis Barton," Andrea snapped, slipping her knife back in its holster. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, irritated.

Clint's eyebrows winged up. "I live here?" he ventured cautiously.

"No…. You live at Avengers Tower. Try again," Andrea responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Clint sighed and got to his feet. "I know your next assignment starts on Monday. I wanted to see my niece before she disappears to parts unknown again," he replied.

"Clint… You and I both know what this job entails and it's never bothered you before. What's up?" Andrea asked, tone softening.

Clint sighed and visibly sagged as he reluctantly stood up. "It… It wasn't great mission, kid. We just got back and I needed to… get away. Figured you could use some company," he shrugged as if being vulnerable around Andrea was something to apologize for.

Andrea quickly moved forward and hugged her uncle - he looked like he needed it. "What happened?" she asked into his chest as he hugged her back.

"Nothing disastrous. Just… Barnes got hit and it…. Jesus, kid, it scared the shit out of me," he responded, voice rough.

"He going to pull through?," she asked as she pulled away.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Clint responded, not meeting her eyes. "He's a super soldier," he added with a shrug.

Andrea knew better to press her uncle for more information on this. So instead she went to the one thing guaranteed to cheer Clint up - food. "You hungry?" she asked, "I can make us some pasta," she offered.

"Actually, yeah. Pasta sounds good," he replied, slipping into one of the stools at the kitchen counter as Andrea moved into the kitchen. Her pasta wasn't anything extraordinary but it was something easy that she knew they had the ingredients for. As Andrea pulled pots and ingredients out of the cupboards, Clint asked, in a much more normal Clint voice, "How's your time off been?"

"You know me," Andrea hedged, "time off is time wasted."

"Yeah, which is why Coulson has to order you to take it," Clint teased.

"Do you want food or not, Clinton?" Andrea asked threateningly.

"Yes, please," Clint responded with a smile.

"Then shut up," she teased with a smile of her own.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Clint spoke up. "You haven't been sleeping well," he observed.

Knowing that lying to her uncle was completely pointless, Andrea answered, "No, I haven't."

"Nightmares again?"

"Mhm…" Andrea responded noncommittally.

"Andy, look-" Clint started.

"If you're about to tell me to go to a shrink or something again, Clint, you know how that conversation is gonna go. So save it," Andrea interrupted her uncle.

Clint sighed in defeat. "It's been ten years, Andrea," he said seriously.

Andrea banged a pot on the stove louder than necessary. "Clint. Stop." she ordered.

Sighing again, Clint got up and moved around the counter to his niece. "I just worry about you, kid. It's my job," he said.

"I know," Andrea conceded. "But I'm not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself."

Clint nodded in understanding and leaned back against the counter while Andrea finished the food.

"So tell me about this mission," Clint asked as Andrea plated the food and set it on the counter.

She glanced over at his question. "You know I can't, Clint," Andrea responded.

"I know you can't tell me everything but you can give me… hints," he prodded with a smile.

"Why do you care so much?" Andrea asked, putting off answering the question as she sat down at the counter next to her uncle.

"Because you're being unusually squirrelly about this one," he answered, stuffing his face with pasta.

"I'm not being 'squirrelly'," Andrea defended lamely.

"Sure you are," Clint shot back. "You're doing it right now," he added with a knowing smile.

Knowing that her uncle wouldn't back down until she gave him something, Andrea sighed in defeat. "I'll be based in Manhattan," she offered.

Clint's smile was infectious. "Will I get to see you while you're on this mission?" Clint asked, his excitement at possibly getting to see more of Andrea evident.

"Yes," she answered simply. _I can't give him too much information_.

"Is it dangerous?" he asked, suddenly serious.

Andrea shrugged in response. "No more dangerous than any other mission," she replied.

Seeming to accept that that was all she could tell him, Clint nodded and shifted his focus back onto his food.

Grateful that the hard part seemed to be over, Andrea smiled and went back to her pasta.

A few hours later found Clint putting away the last of the dishes while Andrea sat on the counter nursing a glass of wine. She didn't often drink - it dulled her senses and made her reflexes too sluggish for her to be comfortable - but with Clint around, she felt she could indulge a little.

Clint broke their comfortable silence as he put the last plate in the cupboard. Turning towards her with a rag in his hands he asked, "Hey, why don't you come by the Tower before your assignment on Monday?"

 _Shit._ "Clint-" Andrea started.

"No, hear me out," Clint interrupted gently.

Andrea settled back on the counter and gestured for Clint to continue.

"Natasha would like to see you and she can't get away for a few days. You've _never_ been there, Andy," he argued.

"There's a reason for that, Clint," Andrea shot back. This was an old argument between the three of them.

"No one has to know you're there," Clint offered. At Andrea's dubious look, he continued. "Just me and Nat," he promised.

Knowing that she'd have to go to the Tower on Monday anyway, Andrea sighed in defeat. "Fine…" she acquiesced with a small smile.

Her uncle's responding smile was worth it.

Despite her week of preparation, Andrea was still pretty nervous about her assignment with the Avengers. Since hitting something usually helped to calm her nerves, Andrea stopped by Georgio's one more time early Monday morning before heading to the Tower.

Andrea was happy to see Georgio himself sitting behind the worn desk as she walked into the gym. She really would miss seeing him everyday. He smiled when he saw her.

"Mornin', beanstalk," he boomed.

"Morning, Georgio," she returned, stopping by the desk to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. As she moved away to start her routine, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

"Got something for you, little lady," Georgio said, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. "That nice fella stopped by last night hopin' to see you," he went on, a mischievious twinkle in his eye.

Andrea knew she was blushing. Thankfully Georgio didn't comment on it.

"Thanks, Georgio," Andrea murmured as she took the note and wandered over to her usual punching bag.

She unfolded it carefully, mortified to realize that her hands trembled slightly. Taking a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart, she read the hastily scrawled message:

 _Andrea -_

 _I'm sorry I missed you. Good luck on your mission - Be safe. Text or call when you can - if you want to._

 _\- Steve_

Andrea couldn't help but smile at his note and the number written below it. It was so completely Steve.

That smile fell away, though, when she realized what today meant. Today she would finally come face to face with the Avengers - the group of people with the best possible chance of noticing her… abnormality. She'd have to work harder than ever before to keep her powers hidden. Worse than that, though, was coming face to face with Steve. Steve would know she'd liked to him - or at least hadn't been completely honest with him. Whatever spark that had been brewing between them would be extinguished.

Sighing, Andrea crumpled up the note and threw it in the corner before turning to face off with her punching bag. She didn't have the luxury of having personal problems like this. She couldn't afford to compromise herself. So, as she began throwing punches, she let herself slide into 'mission-mode'. Her mind cleared, her heart slowed down and she focused on nothing but the mission. Because that was what she was best at.

If on her way out of the gym, Andrea stopped to retrieve and smooth out the note, well, no one but Georgio had to know that.

Later that afternoon found Andrea standing in the same spot she'd stood in the previous week, taking in Avengers Tower. This time, though, she was all business in a clean cut, dark suit typical of the spy she was. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and her bag lay at her feet.

Andrea considered the building before her as she sipped her latte. It was sleek and imposing on the outside, that was for sure. Whatever the inside held remained a mystery. _Besides your family,_ she reminded herself. Clint and Natasha were in there. They'd always have her back.

Comforted by that fact, Andrea finished her latte and grabbed her bag. _Here we go,_ she thought as she crossed the street into the unknown.

She found Clint waiting for her in the lobby of the building. Smiling broadly when he saw her, he pushed off the counter he was leaning against and opened his arms.

Andy returned his wide smile and quickened her step so she could hug her uncle. Even after seeing him just the other day, hugging Clint was one of her favorite things. He always gave the best hugs.

"Hey Clint," she said when they pulled apart.

"Hey there, kiddo," he replied. "Took you long enough," he added with a smile as he led the way towards the bank of elevators.

"What did?" she asked, confused.

"You've been sitting in that cafe, psyching yourself up for like forty-five minutes," he responded with a small laugh.

"Don't you have better things to do with your time than spy on people?" Andy asked, mildly embarrassed.

"She says to the spy…" he responded, nudging her shoulder with his own. Andy gave him a hard look in response.

Holding up his hands in defeat he replied, "Sorry! But JARVIS told me you were sulking across the street so I came down to take a looksee!"

"You have that AI spying on me?!" she asked incredulously as the doors to the elevator closed. Andrea knew all about Stark's robotic butler and _really_ didn't like the idea of it spying on her.

"Not _spying_ ," Clint defended with a shrug of his shoulders. "But when you agreed to visit, I got suspicious and asked JARVIS to keep an eye out for you."

Andrea turned to her uncle, "You were suspicious of me?"

Sighing, Clint ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, "I was suspicious of why you suddenly wanted to come around here when you've been avoiding it for years. I was worried about you, kid," he added a little quieter.

"You don't have to worry about me, Clint. You know that," she responded, momentarily placated about her uncle's snooping.

"I'm always gonna worry about you, Andy. _You_ know _t_ _hat_."

Andrea merely roller her eyes and stuck her tongue out in response.

Clint laughed just as the elevator doors opened. "Very mature, Andrea."

"Thank you, Clinton."

After stepping off of the elevator, Clint lead Andrea down a long, brightly lit hallway. There were only two doors in the hallway - one on the left and one on the right. Clint lead Andrea to the one on the left and let them in.

"Who lives across the hall?" Andrea asked as she stepped over the threshold.

"Nobody right now," Clint responded, walking into the large living room. "It's where Thor stays when he's in town. Don't worry kid, nobody will know you're here besides me and Nat."

"And JARVIS," Andrea added, dropping her bag at the door.

"Yes," Clint sighed, placating his niece, "and JARVIS."

Andrea rolled her eyes as she took in the space. It was large and open - clear sightlines through the entire apartment. She could see all the way down the hall to the back bedrooms. The kitchen was spacious if sparsely stocked. Clint definitely wouldn't have gotten much use out of the state of the art space. Seeing the large plush couch dominating the living space filled Andrea with a true sense of regret. If it weren't for what Clint called her "Spook Suit" she definitely would be sinking into that beauty right about now.

Speaking of beauties, "Where's Nat?" Andrea asked, settling for a kitchen stool to sit upon.

"Right here," Natasha responded from the doorway - she must have followed them in.

Andrea grinned at the redhead. "Always have to be sneaky, don't you?" she teased as she hopped off the stool and made her way over to her dear friend. Just like Clint, Natasha opened her arms for a hug as Andrea approached. And just like with her uncle, Andrea practically ran into those arms, seeking the comfort of family.

As if sensing that Andrea really needed it, one of Natasha's hands came up to stroke Andrea's hair as she held her. Andrea pulled away reluctantly.

"How've you been, Andy?" the Russian murmured quietly.

Andrea shrugged. "Same as always. Not wild about being here," she confessed.

"You're safe here, Andrea," Natasha replied. "You're safe," she repeated.

Andrea nodded in understanding. Clint and Natasha wouldn't ever let anything happen to her. Even if Andrea's worst case scenario came about, Clint and Natasha would get her out before she could be taken away. With that knowledge, Andrea suddenly felt much calmer about her imminent assignment.

As if on cue, the phone in Clint's pocket sounded. The two women looked over as he pulled it out and read the message. Sighing regretfully, he turned towards Andrea. "I'm sorry, kid. Nat and I have to go. We're being summoned to some sort of group meeting for the Avengers."

Andrea's stomach dropped, though she tried not to show it. "That's okay, Clint. I've got a meeting of my own to get to," she managed, trying to smile. Clint nodded and turned to grab his stuff. While he did so, Andrea turned towards Natasha, who had her eyebrows raised suspiciously. emI know what's going on,/em they seemed to say.

Andrea gave a subtle shake of her head. _Please don't say anything._

Natasha gave a minute shrug of her shoulders. _Your secret is safe with me_.

Clint joined them just as Andrea was picking up her bag. "Walk you out?" he asked casually.

"Actually, Clint, why don't you go on up. I'll walk Andrea out," Natasha offered. Judging by the way his eyes narrowed, Clint knew something was up. But he also knew that Natasha and Andrea would fill him in when the time was right, so he didn't push. Shrugging his shoulders, he left the women alone.

"You're the meeting we're going to, aren't you?" Natasha asked as soon as the door closed behind Clint.

"I'm meeting Director Coulson on Conference Room floor in five minutes," Andrea confessed. _It feels so good to be able to finally say that out loud_ , Andrea thought as she leaned back against the wall.

"Can you tell me what it's about?" Natasha asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

Andrea chuckled. "You're gonna find out in about ten minutes, Nat. Why spoil the surprise?" Andrea teased.

"Well, in that case," Natasha replied, pushing off the wall with a smile, "why keep us waiting?" And with that, she grabbed Andrea's hand and tugged her out of the room.

 _Here we go_ , Andrea thought as she made her way towards the elevator with Natasha.


	6. Chapter 6

Director Coulson was waiting for Andrea when the elevator opened a few minutes later. She hadn't ridden up with Natasha, preferring to hang back so as to avoid running into any Avengers before the actual meeting.

"Director Coulson," Andrea greeted with a nod of her head, coming to stand before him.

Coulson smiled at the ever proper agent. "Agent Barton," he returned with his own head not. "I trust you enjoyed your time off," he added with an odd twinkle in his eye.

 _He can't possibly know, can he?_ Andrea thought as she shifted on her feet slightly and fought hard against a blush.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

Coulson nodded once again. "Ready to go?" he asked, gesturing down the hall. At Andrea's nod, they set off for a pair of large double doors at the end of the hall. As they reached the doors, Andrea could hear voices on the other side. _This is it_ , she thought as Coulson reached for the handle.

Taking a deep breath to center herself, Andrea followed Coulson through the doors.

"So you just left a note?!" Bucky asked as they walked slowly towards the elevators, not even trying to hide the laughter in his voice.

Steve didn't hesitate to shoot a glare towards his best friend. "What was I supposed to do, Buck?" Steve asked grumpily.

"Um… emNot/em leave her a note like a lovesick schoolboy?" Bucky suggested, still chuckling.

Steve felt the blush creep up his neck to his face and steadfastly ignored it. "It was all I could think to do before she took off!" Steve defended as they waited for an elevator. "I don't know enough about her to track her down so it's not like I was left with many options."

"You know she's a SHIELD agent," Bucky pointed out.

"Yeah, but how many SHIELD agents do you think are named Andrea?" Steve shot back, defeated. He'd tried his best to get back to Brooklyn by Sunday night so that he could have a real shot at seeing Andrea again. But all thoughts of this mystery girl had fled from his mind as he watched Bucky take a shot in the abdomen and lay motionless on the floor of the warehouse.

Were it not for Dr. Cho and Bucky's enhanced healing, his friend wouldn't be here to give him shit about his trouble with women - one woman in particular.

Steve put those thoughts out of his mind as the elevator arrived and he and Bucky stepped on, not wanting to dwell on how close he'd come to losing his friend. _Better to focus on finding Andrea_ , Steve thought with a shy smile. He hadn't given up on finding her. He just didn't know where to go from here. _Maybe Natasha can help_.

"What's this meeting for, anyway?" Bucky grumbled as he leaned against the elevator wall, watching the numbers rise.

"We're meeting with Director Coulson," Steve replied simply.

"Of SHIELD?" Bucky asked.

"Mhm," Steve responded.

The car was filled with a heavy silence. "Why?" Bucky asked, his irritation evident. Though SHIELD had been rebuilt after its purge of HYDRA, Bucky still had no love for the organization that had once tried to hunt him down.

"You'll find out in a few minutes," Steve replied. He and Coulson had agreed not to give anyone the details of this assignment until this meeting. The less time people had to reject the idea, the more likely they were to accept it. _I hope_ , Steve thought as the elevator reached the conference room floor.

Bucky didn't respond but he did do an awful lot of grumbling as they made their way slowly down the hall towards the main conference room. Most of the Avengers were already there when they entered. Steve took a seat at the head of the table with Bucky to his left. Bruce and Clint sat to Steve's right while Tony and Thor sat on Bucky's other side.

After exchanging some greetings, the room fell into a somewhat strained silence. Things had been tense with the group since the last mission, particularly between Clint and Bucky. After learning that Bucky would make a full recovery, Clint had burst into Bucky's room yelling about him being 'reckless' and a 'moron' before he stormed back out and disappeared. He hadn't spoken to Bucky since and he'd been withdrawn from the rest of the team. _What is going on with those two?_ Steve wondered idly as he waited for Natasha and eventually Director Coulson to show up.

As if on cue, Natasha came striding in with an odd smile on her face. She took her seat between Bruce and Clint and fell into silence with the rest of them.

"Okay, I can't stand it!" Tony declared. "What the hell are we here for? Cap, are you pregnant?" he teased.

"Yes, Steve. What _are_ we doing here?" Natasha chimed in. _That's odd_ , Steve thought, looking towards Natasha. _She doesn't normally jump in with Tony's teasing like that_.

"Save it, Tony," Steve chastised lightly, turning his attention back to his engineer friend. "You'll find out in a minute."

"Excuse me, Captain Rogers, but your expected guests are approaching the conference room," JARVIS interrupted politely.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Steve replied.

"What guests?" Tony asked impatiently.

"They'll be here in a minute, Tony," Bruce responded, chuckling.

"Yeah, but-"

"Good afternoon, Avengers," Coulson interrupted from the doorway. All heads swiveled towards the voice, happy (for the most part) to see the former agent. Steve rose, grabbing the mission directive that he and Coulson had worked out.

Steve raised his head and opened his mouth to welcome him when the SHIELD director shifted slightly, revealing the face of the agent standing behind him. The words died on his tongue and his blood ran cold. _Andrea._

Andrea could pinpoint the exact moment that Steve noticed her. She'd never forget the look she saw on his face. Recognition and hope bleeding into realization and pain - betrayal. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, eyes darting between her and Coulson, searching for answers. She desperately wanted to go to him - to explain. But she couldn't. In this moment, she was a professional SHIELD agent. A damn good one. For now, she needed to maintain her mask of neutral indifference.

She held Steve's flickering gaze for as long as she could. When it got to be too much and she felt her mask starting to crack, her eyes found Clint and Natasha. Clint had a look of surprised amusement on his face while Natasha looked as she usually did - all knowing. A quick scan of the rest of the table showed her the rest of the Avengers. Most weren't paying her any attention - preferring to greet Director Coulson. Those that did notice her showed only mild curiosity.

She took a calming breath as Coulson began.

"Shall we get started, Captain Rogers?" he asked.

Silence.

"Captain?" Coulson pressed.

Andrea saw Sergeant Barnes nudge Steve's leg with his elbow as discreetly as he could. Steve jumped slightly.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked, coming back to himself.

"I just asked if we should get started with the briefing," Coulson tried again.

"Oh, yeah, um…. Yeah, okay," he fumbled, still looking between Coulson and Andrea. Andrea's heart hurt.

When Steve didn't continue, Tony prompted, "What are we doing here, Cap?"

Steve looked towards Tony and swallowed heavily. Andrea could tell that he was struggling to focus on the moment. She saw him take a deep, steadying breath before turning to address his team.

"I've asked Director Coulson here because we're hoping to establish a more collaborative relationship between the Avengers and the new SHIELD," Steve said, his tone all business.

"Why?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Because we need it," Coulson answered. "Quite frankly there are times when we could use the help of some heavy hitters. Heavy hitters like you guys," he added.

"And there will be times when we'll need to utilize SHIELD resources," Steve added.

Tony scoffed. "Like when?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, I don't know, Tony. Maybe when we're fighting an army of sentient robots and dropping cities out of the sky," Clint answered darkly. A tense silence followed.

"Our battles may be much less hard won if we had your SHIELD to aid us, Son of Coul," Thor chimed in, breaking the tension slightly with his booming voice. Coulson smiled lightly in response. Andrea wasn't sure if he liked the nickname or not.

"Which is precisely why I requested that Director Coulson select a SHIELD agent that he trusts to act as a liaison between our two agencies," Steve added, a distinct chill making its way into his voice. A few of the Avengers looked at Steve curiously - he didn't often speak like that.

"Is tall, blonde and good-looking here, said agent?" Tony asked.

Andrea noticed the way that Steve stiffened at Tony's comment. From the looks of things, Barnes was the only other one to take notice of Steve's odd behavior.

But Steve didn't say anything.

"Watch your tone, Stark," Clint snapped instead. Now all eyes were between Tony and Clint.

"Oh, what? You got dibs, Hawk Boy?" Stark teased.

Clint started to rise from his seat. "Gentlemen!" Coulson interrupted before things could escalate further, "Agent Barton is one of my best agents. You're in good hands."

Clint plopped back down in his seat but continued to glower at Tony.

"We appreciate your assessment of Clint, Director Coulson," Steve replied. "But he's no longer a SHIELD agent and can't act as a liaison."

Coulson looked confused for a second before chuckling. "I'm sorry, Captain. It's an old mistake I haven't had to deal with for awhile." At everyone's confused looks, he continued, "Not that Agent Barton," he said, gesturing towards Clint, " _This_ Agent Barton," he added, motioning for Andrea to step forward.

As she did, she noted the look on Steve's face with surprise. He was looking between Clint and her and looked… hurt?

"YOU'RE MARRIED?!" Barnes suddenly yelled, jumping to his feet and staring incredulously at Clint. _Holy shit,_ Andrea thought as she took in the look on Barnes's face _if looks could kill…_ Then it dawned on her, her eyes snapping back to Steve's who was looking at her with a sad expression on his face.

"We're _not_ married," Andrea blurted out, her first words since coming into the room and facing the Avengers.

Steve's face turned to one of confusion while Barnes looked somewhat placated but still pretty pissed. "You're not?" Steve asked, probably softer than he'd intended considering how quickly Barnes's angry eyes snapped over to him.

Clint sighed before standing up and moving to stand beside Andrea. "Everyone, meet my _niece_ , Andrea Barton," he said, hugging her into his side.

"Knock it off, Clinton. I'm working," she hissed under her breath, subtly elbowing him in the ribs. He chuckled and let her go.

"Your niece…." Barnes trailed off, not totally convinced.

"Yes. My niece," Clint snapped at him. Suitably chastised, and probably remembering that he was in a room full of his coworkers and not alone with Clint, Barnes plopped back down into his seat and glared down at the table.

"Well, this just got interesting," Tony piped up.

"Agent Barton will be assigned to you indefinitely," Coulson continued once the team fell into silence.

That got a reaction out of the team. There were a few protests, Clint and Natasha both smiled and Thor exclaimed "Welcome, shieldmaiden!" _Oh, jeez,_ Andrea thought, looking around as the Avengers all looked to Steve for an explanation.

He seemed to be floundering somewhat. _This probably would've been easy for him to handle if it wasn't me,_ Andrea thought as she stepped forward and addressed the room. "I'll be assigned to you but it's up to you how you utilize me," she said.

All eyes turned to her once again. "I'm a skilled sniper and an expert in hand-to-hand combat," she said, ignoring Clint's snort at her remarks. "Use me as part of the team on missions or don't. That's totally up to you."

"For what it's worth," Natasha said, standing up and staring down her team, "I trust Andrea. As much as I trust Clint or you, Steve," she added, addressing Steve at the end. She seemed to sense his struggle.

"Is that true?" Bruce asked skeptically.

"Yes," she said definitively.

"She's as good if not better than me at marksmanship and kicks Nat's ass as often as Nat kicks hers," Clint chimed in, still seated. "She's one of the best," he added proudly. Andrea rolled her eyes at him.

Most of the people in the room were now eyeing her critically. As if they might see her do something badass if they just stared hard enough.

Sensing this, Coulson rolled his eyes and said "Does anyone have any questions before I leave?"

"Is she staying here in the Tower?" Bruce asked.

"No-" "Yes-" Tony and Clint were glaring at eachother again.

"It was the Captain's and my understanding that the liaison agent would stay in the Tower where you would have easier access to her and, therefore, SHIELD," Coulson responded.

"You mean so she could have easier access to us," Bruce replied a little curtly.

Andrea looked every person in the room in the eye before getting to Steve. She held his gaze unblinkingly as she said to him, not for the first time, "I emdon't/em take babysitting jobs."

She was pleased to see his lips quirk up slightly at that. emSmall victories/em, she thought.

Clint slapped his hands together. "Great! Now that that's sorted out, can we be done?" he asked.

"Wait, wait!" Tony interrupted. " _Where_ in the Tower is she staying? This is the first I've heard of this," he argued.

"She may stay in my quarters," Thor responded. "I do not need them as I shall reside with my Lady Jane."

"Thank you, Thor but I don't need that much space. Mr. Stark, I'll just crash in Clint's guestroom," Andrea reasoned.

"But-" Natasha started, obviously about to argue that as a pseudo part of the team she deserved her own apartment.

"No, Nat, really," Andrea argued. "I wouldn't know what to do with that much space. I'll stay with Clint. _Really_ " she stressed, almost pleading with her eyes. It's not that she thought she didn't deserve an apartment like Clint's. She just genuinely didn't know how to live in a place like Avengers Tower. She'd lived in dorms and barracks almost exclusively since she was nine. The thought of having that much space to herself made her uncomfortable.

Reading her face, Clint softened and he responded, "Okay, kid. You'll stay with me."

"Well, now that that's settled," Coulson added, "I guess I'll be going now. Thank you, Captain," he added.

Realizing that he hadn't said anything in a little while, Steve shook his head and responded, "We'll be in touch, Director."

As Coulson left, a palpable tension descended on the room.

"Avengers, you're dismissed," Steve ordered. No one moved. He never gave orders outside of a combat situation.

"Go," he added, a little less formally. "I need a moment alone with Agent Barton," he added, putting an emphasis on her last name that Andrea couldn't decipher. Slowly, one by one the Avengers stood up and filed out until it was just Andrea, Steve, Clint and Bucky left.

"Look, Steve-" Clint started.

"Go, Clint," Andrea interrupted, looking at her uncle sharply. She was a professional. She could handle whatever was coming.

With one last stern look at Steve, Clint walked out of the room.

Steve and Barnes were having a conversation in hushed tones at the other end of the room. Steve looked upset and Barnes had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Bucky, it's _her_ ," she heard Steve say quietly. Maybe now wasn't the best time to mention that she had slightly enhance hearing.

"Who?" Barnes asked.

"Agent Barton is _my_ Andrea," he whispered. Andrea couldn't fight the blush that came so she looked away from them in an attempt to hide it.

She heard Barnes chuckle. "Good luck with that, man," Barnes responded, slapping Steve on the shoulder and sauntering out of the room. He gave Andrea a very blatant once over as he walked out. Andrea responded with a glare.

As the door shut behind him, Andrea looked towards Steve. _Alone again,_ she thought as they were engulfed in a tense silence.

Andrea and Steve stared each other down across the conference table. Andrea's face was the picture of calm resolve while Steve had anger in his eyes and hurt on his face. Andrea didn't have to wait long for Steve to break the tense silence.

"Did you know?" he asked quietly but with an edge of steel in his voice.

"Know what?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"In Brooklyn," he clarified, clearing his throat before he went on, "Did you know what your assignment was going to be?"

 _Oh._ "Yes. I knew what my assignment was when we met, Steve," Andrea replied honestly.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asked incredulously.

Andrea didn't hesitate to answer. "No," she replied simply. Steve visibly flinched at the words. He began angrily pacing in front of the windows.

Andrea dared to move closer to him. He either didn't notice her walking towards him or didn't care. When she reached his end of the table, she stopped. "Steve-"

"Why, Andrea?" he asked, obviously hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?! That whole time we were-" he seemed to catch himself. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, a little more calmly. "Why?"

"I was ordered not to, Steve," she replied hotly. "Coulson ordered me not to tell anyone the details of my mission. Not Clint, not Natasha, not you. Not anyone."

"Do you always do what you're told?" he snapped.

"No, but I sure as shit follow the orders of my SO!" she shot back, angry at his assumption that she could be some obedient lap dog.

Steve turned and looked at the window, trying to collect himself. Andrea focused on controlling her breathing. Getting angry at Steve wouldn't fix anything. And she desperately wanted to fix this.

When Steve turned to look at her, he looked better - resigned - but better. "I guess that's me now," he finally replied, his face betraying his feelings with a hint of a smirk.

Andrea smirked back at him. "Yeah," she replied. "I guess so."

Some of the tension bled out of the room. Steve sat down heavily in the chair at the head of the table. Andrea took the one to his right. Steve regarded her for a moment before speaking. "What now?" he asked.

Andrea thought about it. _What do I want to happen?_ she thought as she studied Steve studying her. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. _Maybe he is,_ she thought with mixed feelings. As she saw it, there were three options. They could be Captain Rogers and Agent Barton, Steve and Andrea, or they could be a mix of the two.

Deciding that she didn't want to be here without Steve, she acted. She stood up and walked around the table. He swiveled in his chair to follow her movements, raising a curious eyebrow when she came to a halt before him. She offered him her hand.

"Hi. My name is Andrea Barton. I'm a SHIELD agent on an indefinite assignment to the Avengers. You can call me Andy," she said with a small smile.

Steve absolutely grinned. He stood up and took her hand. "Nice to meet you, Andy," Steve replied, "I'm Steve. It's a real pleasure to meet you." They didn't shake hands as much as they just stood there holding on to each other.

Steve once again broke the silence. "Andrea, the rest of it…. Us in Brooklyn," he murmured. "Was it real?"

Andrea hoped he couldn't hear her rapidly beating heart. "Yeah, Steve. It was real," she responded.

He smiled that adorable smile of his and looked towards the ground, down at their still joined hands. He gave her hand one last squeeze before gently letting it go and taking a cautious step backwards.

Andrea instantly missed the contact. Judging by the look that flashed across Steve's face, he did too.

"So, what now?" Andrea asked, echoing Steve's earlier question.

"Now," Steve answered with a smile, "you meet the rest of the team." He had a mischievous look in his eye as he said iit, making Andrea wary.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," he commented as they made their way out of the conference room.

"I'm not nervous," Andrea shot back defensively. "I'm just going to meet a world-renowned scientist, a billionaire, _another_ super soldier and a literal god. What's to be nervous about?"

Steve chuckled. "Well, you're part of the team now," he replied as they walked down the hall towards the elevator. "So, you've gotta meet them eventually."

Andrea stopped in her tracks. Steve walked a few more steps before he realized Andrea wasn't with him anymore.

"What is it?" he asked, moving back to her.

"It can't be that easy, Steve," she murmured.

"What can't?" he asked, standing before her.

"Me being a part of the team," she explained. When he still looked clueless, she went on. "You barely know me," she reasoned, "I'm practically a stranger to you all. You can't just make me a part of the team."

Steve shrugged. "I know you can't whistle," he pointed out with a smile. When Andrea's lips quirked up, he continued, "I know you like mocha lattes and have a pretty serious right hook." That one really made her smile. Steve's smile intensified, as if revelling in the victory of getting Andrea to smile. His face sobered suddenly as he added softly, "And I trust you, Andrea."

That shocked Andrea. Not fifteen minutes ago they were yelling at each other in the conference room behind them. Now he was saying he trusts her. "But… why?" she stammered out.

He smirked. "I don't know why," he replied, echoing the words she'd once said to him. Andrea scowled in response, causing Steve to laugh. "I really don't, Andrea," he went on, still chuckling. "There's just something about you."

Andrea's scowl didn't go away.

"Plus," he added, "Natasha trusts you." He reached forward and grabbed her hand. She didn't pull away. "That's enough for me." Andrea searched his eyes for any sign of doubt. Finding none, she finally allowed herself to smile.

"Come on," he said suddenly, tugging her hand before letting it drop. "I'll show you the common floor," he added, moving towards the elevator.

The elevator ride was quiet but not uncomfortable. The pair stood side by side as the car climbed. As she watched the numbers grow, Andrea felt Steve scoot subtly closer to her until their sides were practically pressed up against each other. Andrea smiled shyly as their hands brushed each other. She glanced towards Steve to find him already looking at her. Blushing slightly, Andrea turned away. _When did I turn into a blushing schoolgirl?_ Andrea wondered to herself as she forced herself to focus on the numbers once more.

Suddenly Andrea felt Steve's hand grasp hers hesitantly. Looking down, sure enough, she found his much larger fingers loosely gripping her own. As she raised her eyes to him, he murmured softly, "Is this okay?"

Andrea opened her mouth to answer when the elevator car came to a stop. Steve dropped her hand gently with an apologetic smile and took a small step away just as the doors opened. Andrea wasn't mad. After all, they were still getting to know each other. And there were a lot of complications to… them. Walking around Avengers Tower holding hands would only bring unwanted attention and pressure.

Andrea motioned for Steve to exit the elevator first. Chuckling at her sudden shyness, Steve did as instructed and stepped out first. As the duo stepped out, several sets of eyes turned to them. Andrea immediately sought out Clint's. He was sitting on the back of one of the numerous couches, near the elevator, no doubt waiting for her.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted as she stepped off the elevator. Steve moved past them to the dining table where Barnes was sitting.

"Will you stop calling me that, Clint?" she pleaded. "I have to work with these people."

Clint laughed and slung his arm across Andrea's shoulders and turned towards the room. "Let me show you around the place," he said.

What struck Andrea first about the space was all the windows. The entire far wall was floor to ceiling windows offering a stunning view of the city. As for the room itself, the elevator opened up into a massive sunken living room that had enough plush seating for several super-sized men. The room was dominated by a giant entertainment center and fireplace to the left. To Andrea's right was a massive dining table separated from the huge, open kitchen by a massive island.

Most of the Avengers were gathered around the island while a few, like Barnes, were lounging at the dining table. As Clint and Andrea approached, Tony spoke from his spot behind the counter. "So you're the niece, huh?" he asked dryly.

"Guilty," Andrea answered as she reached the counter, situating herself between Clint and Natasha. She didn't know these people yet - it was instinct to surround herself with those she trusted.

"How exactly does that work?" he asked.

"Well… when a man and a woman love each other very much…." she retorted teasingly.

Clint snickered but Tony didn't look too amused.

"Clint isn't old enough to be your uncle," he pointed out.

"And yet, he is," Andrea shot back.

"Tony, enough," Steve ordered from his spot next to Barnes at the table.

"No can do, Cap. Just trying to get to know my new team member here," he mocked.

"Dude, she _is_ my niece," Clint chimed in.

"But-"

"He was nine when I was born," Andrea interrupted before this discussion could get any more out of control. "My father was his brother. The. End."

"And where is daddy now?" Tony asked.

Andrea could feel Clint tense next to her. She knew her own face showed nothing short of a scowl.

"Ooohhh," Tony said almost gleefully, "daddy issues, then?"

"You want to talk about daddy issues, Tony?" Natasha asked mildly from her spot to Andrea's right. Her mild manner didn't fool anyone, Natasha's tone brooked no argument - this conversation was _done_.

"You are most welcome, Lady Andrea," Thor boomed, breaking the tense silence in the room. "I look forward to you joining us in battle!"

Andrea couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you, Thor," she answered graciously. "But you don't have to call me Lady Andrea. Just Andrea is fine."

Thor nodded his head in response. "If that is what you wish," he intoned.

"And this is Dr. Bruce Banner," Natasha added, continuing the introductions. Andrea got up from her stool and made her way over to the scientist. "Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Banner," she said simply, extending her hand.

He took it and replied warmly, "Nice to meet you, too, Agent Barton."

"Please call me Andrea," she responded. A small scuffle took her attention away from Bruce and towards the table. Steve was nudging Bucky to get up and Bucky was resisting. Deciding to stave off any sort of super-soldier rumble, she approached them.

"And you must be Sergeant Barnes," she said, offering her hand.

Barnes eyed it warily. It took another nudge from Steve for him to take it. "You can call me Bucky," he said grudgingly.

"Okay, Bucky," she responded, deciding to kill him with kindness. She didn't blame him for his cold reaction to her. She was an unknown in his safe space. She would have reacted the same.

"Okay!"Clint exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "Now that the introductions are all over, I'm gonna take Andrea down to my place and get her settled."

Andrea nodded her agreement and followed Clint towards the elevator. "Family dinner tonight?" Steve called as the elevator doors opened.

"Sounds good," Clint answered easily. Family dinners must be a fairly common occurrence as nobody seemed to have any objection.

As soon as the elevator doors closed on them, Andrea turned to Clint.

"I'm _so_ sorry I didn't tell you, Clint. I-"

"You were ordered not to, Andy," he interrupted her rant kindly. "I really do get it," he added with a smile.

Andrea breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure she could handle this assignment if she was at odds with her uncle.

It was a short ride to Clint's floor and before she knew it, Andrea once more found herself in Clint's apartment. Allowing herself to look around this time, the similarities to the common floor were unmistakeable. Clint's place was simply a very scaled down version - right down to the couches. This time, Andrea allowed herself to kick off her heels and sink into the plush couch. Her momentary bliss, however, was interrupted by her bothersome uncle clearing his throat.

"Should I leave you alone for a moment?" he asked jokingly.

"Actually," Andrea shot back, "That would be fantastic."

"Fine by me," he said walking away. "Your room is the first on the right, I'm making some grilled cheese if you want some."

The thought of Clint's grilled cheese got her moving. "Okay, okay," she grumbled, getting up off the couch and grabbing her bag. "I'll be right back," she mumbled, setting off down the hall towards her room.

The bedroom she found was quite large. Once again, the far wall was all windows. _Did every room in this tower have a view of the city?_ she wondered as she wandered around the room. The bed itself was against the right wall and was huge - Andrea couldn't wait to sink into it. There was also a sizeable dresser and a walk-in closet. Andrea really didn't know what to do with this much space.

 _Well_ , she thought as she dropped her bag on the bed, _This is home for awhile. Better get used to it, Andy._

Changing quickly into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Andra made her way back out to the kitchen to see about that grilled cheese.

Clint was already plating some sandwiches when she reached the kitchen. Jumping up onto a stool, Andrea pulled one of the plates towards her and dug in. Grilled cheese always made her feel better. Clint had been making them for her since she was little.

As she started on her second sandwich, Clint joined her at the counter with his own plate.

"So…" he began, mouth full of food, "What'd Steve want to talk to you about?" he asked casually.

"Oh, ya know… just stuff about my assignment," she responded. She knew the instant the words left her mouth that Clint would see through her. Sure enough, he stopped chewing and turned to her.

"Really?" he asked, with just a hint of disbelief in his voice, as if he was taunting her into telling the truth.

"Yep," she answered simply, finishing off her sandwich and getting up from the counter. As she made her way around the counter to the sink, she realized that Clint was uncharacteristically quiet. Turning to face him, she saw why. He was giving her _the stare_. Every now and then, when he knew Andrea was hiding something, he'd simply stare her down until she fessed up.

Andrea stared back for as long as she could before giving in. "Ugh, fine!" she caved. "We _may_ have met each other while I was staying in Brooklyn and we _may_ have gone on a date."

"What?!" he exclaimed, food forgotten.

"Please don't flip out, Clint," she begged. "It was one date! It was just coffee!"

"So what did he want to talk to you about today?" he asked. "Oh, God were you two making out in the conference room?" he added, scandalized.

"NO!" she replied hastily. "Jesus, Clint, we haven't even kissed. I didn't tell him about my mission when we met and he wanted to hash it out before we went forward with the assignment," she explained.

"Is he pissed?"

"Not anymore," Andrea replied. "We worked it out."

"Are you two dating?" he asked.

"No… not really. I don't know! Could you please just keep this to yourself?" she pleaded.

Clint seemed to consider it for a moment before replying, "Fine."

"Thank you," Andrea responded, relieved. "Now eat your food, Uncle Clint," she teased.

He responded in true Clint fashion by stuffing half the sandwich in his mouth.

 _Maybe Avengers Tower isn't such a scary place, after all,_ she thought as she laughed with her uncle in the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

It would be another week before Andrea would see Steve again. In fact, she hadn't seen any of the Avengers besides Natasha and Clint since the family dinner on her first night. Andrea had to admit that she enjoyed the dinner, despite feeling on display the entire time. Though the team rarely spoke directly to or about her, she could tell that she, as the outsider, was the focus of their attention.

Wanting to avoid that feeling as much as possible, Andrea had gone out of her way to stay on the periphery as the Avengers went about their business.

She spent most of her time in Clint's quarters - eating her meals and catching up with her uncle and friend.

When she began to feel restless she went to the gym. Not the state-of-the-art gym that the team used but the more modest gym on the lower levels of the building. Suspecting that Steve and possibly Bucky might frequent this gym, Andrea only went down there when JARVIS confirmed that neither man was in the vicinity.

"You can't keep avoiding them forever," Clint told her one morning over breakfast on the fifth day of her self-imposed exile.

Andrea knew it was critical to avoid her uncle's gaze in this moment so opted instead to keep her attention focused on her Cheerios.

"I'm not avoiding anyone," she mumbled around a mouthful of cereal.

Clint snorted in response but otherwise kept silent. He knew how to get information from his niece. Sure enough, after a few minutes of tense silence, Andrea gave a defeated huff and finally turned towards Clint.

"I'm here to be a liaison between SHIELD and the Avengers, Clint. There hasn't been a need for me, yet. Until there is, my plan is to keep by head down and let you guys go on as you have been."

Clint nodded as if understanding. "Look, Andy, I know you're afraid someone will find out-"

"Would you shut up?" Andrea cut in sharply. At Clint's wide eyed look of surprise, she went on, softer. "Clint, the walls _literally_ have ears…"

Clint sighed and nodded in response. "My point is," Clint tried again, "is that you're safe here. You're safe with me. I thought you knew that."

Andrea sagged in her seat. "I do know that," she replied, "but you can't be with me every second of every day."

"No, I can't but you should still give the rest of the team a chance - you might be surprised."

"They can't find out, Clint," she whispered, barely audible, into her cereal.

Clint hopped down from his spot on the counter and made his way over to her. Pulling her into a hug, he mumbled into her hair, "If that's what you want, then they won't. But you can't hide out in here, Andy. Like it or not, we're your team now. And not _just_ when we need SHIELD backup" he added as he pulled away from her.

Andrea nodded, she knew he was right, no matter how daunting the process of interacting with the Avengers was.

"I'll try," she responded, getting up and moving towards the sink to wash out her bowl.

Clint knew that was as good as he was going to get for the time being. Deciding to try another tactic, he asked, "How about we get out of the tower, huh? Go get some coffee?"

Andrea smiled. "Sure. That sounds good."

Just as they were making their way towards the door, Clint's Avengers alarm went off. He quickly pulled it out, offering Andrea an apologetic look as he read the message.

"Rain check?" Andrea suggested with a smile.

"Yeah… Sorry, kiddo," he responded, quickening his steps towards the door, leaving Andrea in the living room.

"Let me know if you need SHIELD backup!" she called to him as he reached the door.

He stopped as he opened it to turn towards her and respond, "You got it." And just like that, Andrea was alone.

Deciding that Clint was right about getting out of the tower, Andy waited a few minutes then grabbed her coat and headed out the door in search of coffee. Since it was still possible that the Avengers may need either her or SHIELD Andrea went to the coffee shop across the street. It was quiet despite the fact that it was smack dab in the middle of Manhattan. Plus, they made good mochas.

As she took a seat at a small table at the back of the cafe, she considered what her uncle had said. Solitude didn't bother Andrea. As a SHIELD agent, ,she tended to spend a fair amount of time alone on operations. But this op was different. It had an open ended directive - she had no clear tasks to complete until the Avengers needed backup. There was no endpoint in sight. And it involved a lot of people she'd historically striven to avoid.

Though they seemed like a friendly enough bunch (for the most part), she just didn't see herself letting her guard down around them. Even the friendliest-seeming person could have ill-intentions towards someone like her. _A freak_ her mind supplied.

Taking a deep breath, Andrea willed those thoughts away. _I'll be fine if I just remain cautious, just as I always have,_ she thought instead. _Maybe even a little more so,_ she thought as she considered the Avengers themselves.

They were used to encountering people with _abnormalities_. A good chunk of the Avengers themselves were… gifted.

 _So why am I so scared?_ she'd been asked by both Clint and Natasha many times before. The answer to that was a simple one for Andrea. _Because I've been put in a cage before._ No matter how much Clint or Natasha argued or reasoned, Andrea was adamant that for her powers to be discovered would mean a cage. She'd been kept and trained to use her skills and powers as a weapon.

Granted, she still used her finely honed skills as a weapon for SHIELD, but, when all things are considered, SHIELD was an instrument for good. Would that change if SHIELD discovered what she was truly capable of? If they discovered the true details of her past? She couldn't risk it. Not with SHIELD, and not with the Avengers.

Andrea gave a resigned sigh as she finished her coffee and stood up. _Maybe I can sneak in a workout before they get back_ , she thought as she made her way across the street back to the tower.

Andrea boarded the elevator and considered the panel before her. Feeling daring, and considering the team was away, Andrea pushed the button for the communal floor rather than go straight back to Clint's quarters.

As expected, when the elevator doors opened, she found the communal floor blessedly empty. Even so, she hesitated once outside the elevator. Should she be here? If felt like an invasion of some sort.

"Um… JARVIS?" Andrea called tentatively. She hadn't spoken to the virtual butler other than to ensure safe passage to the gym.

"Yes, Agent Barton?" the AI responded politely.

"Is it okay that I'm here?" she questioned.

"Of course, Agent Barton. You are authorized to access any of the communal areas open to the Avengers."

"I am" Andrea asked, surprised.

"Yes. Agent Barton and Captain Rogers were quite insistent that you be able to move freely about the living spaces."

Still, Andrea felt hesitant in her explorations. It felt too much like spying.

"If I may, Agent Barton, I would be happy to give you a tour of the premises," the AI offered.

Andrea smiled. "I'd like that, JARVIS."

Andrea had already been on this common floor but JARVIS pointed out things she might have missed - like the giant bean bag chair next to the massive couch ("A favorite of Thor's," the AI informed her). He also pointed out such necessities as where the coffee and pop tarts were stocked. ("The kitchen is always well stocked as to accommodate the metabolisms of our more enhanced residents.") Andrea tried not to fidget at that comment.

"What's next, JARVIS?" Andrea asked once she felt fairly comfortable on the common living floor.

"I'm told the balcony adjacent to the living room offers a striking view of the city," he offered.

Andrea could already see the city through the windows but thought she may as well take a peak off the balcony, if only to appease JARVIS.

Andrea stepped over to the sliding door that the AI indicated and slowly slid it open. Expecting a punishing wind at this height, Andy was pleased to find only a gentle breeze whipping at her face. _It must have something to do with the structure of the building,_ she mused as she made her way to the railing and peered out. The sight made Andrea's breath catch. The city stretched out before her in all it's beautiful, noisy glory. She felt like she could see all the way to Brooklyn, the day was so clear.

After spending a few minutes in silence taking in the view, JARVIS interrupted her reverie. "If I may, Agent Barton, the fitness facilities may be of interest to you."

Nodding, she turned away from the view and headed back into the building. "Okay, JARVIS, where to next?"

Andrea had to admit that the Avengers' living space was quite impressive. The gym had every piece of modern workout equipment imaginable plus ample space to allow for superhero-level sparring. The gun range was surprisingly modest but well equipped. Andrea wouldn't mind spending some time in there honing her skills and tuning out the world. She was surprised, however, when JARVIS took her to the floor with the labs.

"JARVIS are you sure I'm allowed to be down here?" she queried as she hesitantly stepped off of the elevator.

"Yes, Agent Barton. While most of the labs are secured, the floor itself is open to the residents of the Avengers floors."

Andrea made her way slowly down the hall, intending to be quick about her tour of this floor. She stopped, however, when she came to a door about halfway down the hall. Through the glass door she could clearly see Bruce Banner working in his lab.

"JARVIS, I thought that the Avengers were out of the tower on the mission," she hissed, stepping back from the door and out of sight.

"My apologies, Agent Barton. I thought you were aware that Dr. Banner does not always accompany the team on their operations," he replied with what Andrea would swear up and down was a hint of amusement in his voice.

As she turned to make a hasty retreat towards the elevator, JARVIS went on, "I do not think he would mind being disturbed, Agent Barton."

Andrea stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?" she asked, though she'd clearly heard him.

"I do not believe that Dr. Banner would mind if you stopped in the lab to say a few words," he repeated, as if encouraging her.

Andrea looked back towards Bruce's lab, considering. She'd faced down worse things than Bruce Banner, that was for sure. But she couldn't make her feet move. Shaking her head, she mumbled an "I can't" for JARVIS before making her way back to the elevator.

JARVIS was silent as the elevator doors closed but Andrea could feel his judgement nonetheless.

As the car started to move, JARVIS broke the silence, "Might I suggest lunch on the communal floor?" he offered.

Andrea nodded. "Sounds good, JARVIS. Any Avengers up there?" she asked as a precaution.

"Not at this time, Agent Barton," he confirmed.

Andrea nodded and leaned against the wall of the elevator for the duration of the short ride to the communal floor.

Andrea made a beeline for the kitchen when the elevator doors opened. It'd been a long morning and she was starving. Quickly whipping up some tomato soup and grilled cheese, she settled down at the counter to enjoy her comfort food.

She ate in silence, trying not to dwell on her cowardice, until JARVIS once again broke her reverie. "Excuse me, Agent Barton, I implore you not to be alarmed but Dr. Banner seems to be making his way towards the kitchen."

Just as before, Andrea's instinct was to run from this challenge. Something that, until recently, she would never have considered doing. Nothing would make her happier right now that hauling ass back to Clint's quarters and staying there until she was desperately needed by the Avengers. But then she thought of her uncle's words. "You can't keep avoiding them forever."

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Andrea remained seated and waited for Dr. Banner to arrive.

Sure enough, it was mere moments before the elevator doors slid open and Dr. Banner stepped out. He made it a few steps before he stopped in his tracks, finally noticing Andrea's presence. "Oh. Hello, Andrea," he greeted with a hint of surprise evident in his voice.

"Hell, Doctor Banner," she replied with a tentative smile, desperately trying not to fidget.

"Please call me Bruce, Andrea," he responded, once again making his way towards the kitchen.

"Okay, Bruce," Andrea responded.

"It's nice to see you out and about," Bruce said kindly as he pulled what looked like leftover butter chicken out of the fridge.

"I was just giving Agent Barton a tour of the facility, Dr. Banner," JARVIS supplied as Bruce put his food in the microwave.

"Finally getting around to it, huh?" he asked, leaning back against the counter as he waited for his food to heat up.

To her unending shame, Andrea felt a blush fill her cheeks. "Yeah, I just needed to…"

"Acclimate?" Bruce offered.

Andrea chuckled. "Yeah, something like that," she admitted.

"It's a lot to take in," Bruce replied just as the timer beeped on the microwave. Taking his food out, he made his way around the counter and indicated the seat next to Andrea. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Oh," Andrea responded, surprised, "Of course."

Bruce smiled as he took his seat. "Some days it feels like I'm still adjusting to things around here," he admitted, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Really?" Andrea asked.

"It's not everyday that you spend your time working in a state-of-the-art facility with some of the greatest minds in the world while simultaneously living with a bunch of superheroes," he answered with a smile in his voice.

Andrea laughed at that, feeling more at ease the more she talked to the scientist.

"How do you like it here so far?" Bruce asked.

Andrea shrugged. "Well, I haven't been here long, but I can already tell that the living conditions will be better than my last op," Andrea replied.

"Which were…?" Bruce prompted.

"Classified," Andrea responded with a wink and a smile, causing Bruce to laugh and nearly choke on his chicken.

Once the laughter had died down, Andrea asked a question that had bugged her since finding out that he was still in the building. "Do you mind if I ask why you didn't go on the mission with the rest of the team?" she asked tentatively.

Bruce merely shrugged and responded, "They didn't need the Other Guy on this one."

"I'm sorry if that was rude or…"

Bruce chuckled. "Don't worry, Andrea. It would take a lot more than that to insult me."

Andrea smiled, relieved.

They spent the rest of their meal talking about inconsequential things - just getting to know each other. Before long, Bruce needed to get back to work in his lab.

"It was nice talking to you, Andrea," he said as he placed his dish in the dishwasher and made his way back around the counter.

"Same here, Bruce. It's nice to have someone to talk to here besides Clint," Andrea responded with a smile.

"Well, if you ever want to talk or just need to get away, feel free to stop my lab," Bruce offered.

"Thanks," Andrea replied sincerely.

With that, Bruce walked off towards the elevator, leaving Andrea once again alone in the kitchen.

Once Andrea had finished cleaning up her dishes, she too made her way towards the elevator to make her way back to Clint's quarters.

Andrea spent much of the next day in the Avengers' gym. She wanted to try out some of the fancier machines without having to worry about running into any of the tower's residents. She found that she liked quite a few of the newer machines but ultimately decided that she preferred the more classic gym a few floors down.

Once again, Andrea and Bruce had lunch together. This time, they ate in his lab while he explained some of his experiments to her. Andrea was loathe to admit that a great deal of what he said went over head, but she appreciated the effort. She, in turn, told Bruce a few of the more embarrassing stories of Clint growing up. She doubted that her uncle would appreciate his teammates knowing that he used to play dressup and tea party with his niece. But with so much of her life not up for discussion, she was a bit limited in what she felt comfortable telling her new friend.

After a light dinner and quick jog around the Avengers' gym, Andrea decided to call it a night. Since getting to know Bruce a little better, she was feeling a little bit better about her assignment to the team. She wouldn't be letting her guard down by any means but at least she wouldn't have to live as a hermit. With those feelings in mind, Andrea turned in for the night.

But if Andrea had learned one thing in the past ten years, it was that no feeling of contentment could keep the nightmares at bay.

Andrea was sitting in the coffee shop at her usual table in the back. Only this time she wasn't alone. She looked across the table at the two blondes who were no doubt keeping an eye on the surroundings behind her.

"Thanks for coming with me, guys," she said to the men.

"Of course," Clint replied, taking a sip of his coffee, eyes ever watchful.

Steve, however, reached across the table for her hand. Taking it, he held on and stroked it soothingly with his thumb. "I wouldn't be anywhere else but with you," he murmured, causing Clint to roll his eyes dramatically.

Andrea sent Steve a blinding smile as she flipped her hand in his and held on.

That's when the screaming started. Whipping around to the source of the screams, Andrea saw chaos. Men and women were running for cover as explosions rocked the streets. Then the men dressed in black moved in and Andrea's blood ran cold.

She knew those faces.

Standing abruptly, she turned to face the chaos. The men were moving towards the coffee shop. They were looking for her. She knew it.

Turning around to her teammates, Andrea was shocked to find them gone. _No…_

 _Where was Clint? He promised they would never take me again. He's supposed to protect me._

She couldn't let them take her. She knew what would happen if they took her. She couldn't go back there. Never again. She couldn't go back to the experiments. The injections. The training. She couldn't go back to the chair.

She had to get out of here. But as the men moved into the shop, they opened fire. People fell around her. She had to go. But people were dying. People were dying and she didn't care. To her utter shame, she turned to flee out the back.

But her hesitation cost her dearly. She was grabbed from behind. She tried to struggle, she tried to fight. But to no avail. He was too strong. _Dimitri was always so strong…_ Something sharp pierced her neck. They were drugging her. _No!_ Her movements became sluggish.

She called upon her power - always a last resource for her and used only in the most dire of circumstances. But it wasn't working. Nothing was working. _I can't go back. No, please. I can't go back. No. No! NO!_

"NO!" she screamed as she bolted up in bed, flailing in the sheets. Reaching for anything to defend herself. Finding nothing, she raced to her room's adjoining bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. As she moved, the lights came on low.

As she finished in the bathroom, she heard, "I beg your pardon, Agent Barton, but can I be of any assistance?"

"J..JARVIS?" she breathed, words unsteady as she tried to catch her breath.

"Can I be of any assistance, Agent Barton?" he repeated.

The most that Andrea could manage was a shake of the head. She didn't have it in her to speak yet.

She tried focus as the tears ran down her face unbidden. She needed to breathe. She needed to calm herself.

She needed to get out of there.

Quickly rinsing her teeth, Andrea all but ran out of her room and out of Clint's quarters.

The doors were already open as she reached the elevator and shut immediately as she got in.

"To the gym, Agent Barton?" JARVIS asked quietly.

She could only nod.

She spent the short elevator ride focusing on her breathing and willing the tears away. By the time the doors opened into the lower gym, she'd managed to staunch the flow of tears and get her breathing back to a regular level.

Still clad in her pajamas, she made her way straight to the punching bag. Not bothering to wrap her hands, Andrea went on the attack.

 _They let us take you._

She put everything she had into the bag short of calling upon her power. She didn't dare risk it, not with the lack of control she was feeling at the moment.

 _You'll make a fine weapon one day, girlie._

 _Left - Left - Left - Right - Kick - Right - Left - Knee_

Her assault on the bag went on as her knuckles grew bloody, as the tears once more began to flow.

She didn't know she'd started screaming until she felt strong arms around her, pulling her away from the bag.

She flailed, she fought.

Once again, as she'd dreamed, she couldn't find purchase. She couldn't see through the tears. Couldn't breathe through the agony. "No! NO! I won't go back!" she screamed as she struggled.

"Andrea!" a voice pleaded. When she refused to submit, the voice called again. "ANDREA, STOP! It's me!" she heard Steve's voice. _Steve._

Just like that, as if her strings had been cut, Andrea stopped struggling. She sagged into his arms. She felt Steve lower them to the ground, never once letting go.

He somehow managed to turn her in his arms so that she could bury her face into his neck as she continued to sob. He held her close. Stroking her hair and murmuring nonsense into her ear.

It was many minutes before Andrea's sobs subsided and her breathing returned to some semblance of normal. Even then, Steve waited until the only sound in the gym were their quiet breaths before slowly pulling back so that he could look down at Andrea's tear stained face.

"Andrea?" he murmured, getting her attention.

She slowly pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked up into his eyes. Steve's heart ached at what he saw. Her eyes were red rimmed, there were still tears trickling down her face, and she just looked so emlost/em.

"Andrea, what happened?" he asked quietly.

"Steve," she whispered. "It was just a nightmare," she admitted, looking away, new tears falling down her face. Tears he hastily and carefully wiped away with his thumbs.

With his large hands cupping her head, he was able to tilt her head to look him in the eye. "This seems like more than just a nightmare," he replied softly.

"Please," she choked on a sob. "Please don't make me. I can't..." she begged.

"Okay, okay, shhh," he soothed, once more reaching up to stroke her hair. "Andrea, I'll never make you do anything."

She laid her head against his chest and nodded at his words.

At a loss as to what to do, Steve cast about for anything to fill the silence. Struck with an idea, he asked, "How about a change of scenery?"

After a slight hesitation, she nodded once again.

Steve stood with her still in his arms, lifting her and carrying her to the elevator. Once inside, he set her down but kept close. "JARVIS, is there anyone on the communal floor?" he asked.

"No, Captain Rogers. Thor has just vacated the premises with the last of the PopTarts."

Andrea couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at that.

Smiling, Steve hugged her close to him. She didn't seem to mind at all.

When the elevator doors opened, he gently grabbed her still bleeding hand and led her to the kitchen. Sitting her on one of the chairs at the dining table, he made his way around the kitchen island and began rummaging under the counter. Andrea blushed and looked out the window as he resurfaced with a first aid kit.

He moved back towards her and, taking the seat next to hers, reached gently for her right hand. She knew that the wounds on her hands would be healed by tomorrow afternoon but didn't feel that it would be prudent to tell Steve that.

They remained silent as Steve tended to her wounds, carefully disinfecting and then wrapping her bruised knuckles.

"You'll need an x-ray to see if anything's broken," he murmured.

"They're not," she replied, just as quietly, wiggling her fingers one by one.

Seemingly satisfied with that, Steve nodded and began packing up the kit.

Andrea expected Steve to come back to the table and try to talk about what he'd seen so she was surprised when, after replacing the kit, he went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of ice cream. After grabbing two spoons, he returned to his seat next to Andrea.

"It's mint chip," he said as he offered her a spoon.

Andrea gave a small smile as she took the spoon and dug into the ice cream. Mint chip was her favorite.

They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the others' company as well as the ice cream.

"It's late," Steve said as they finished off the ice cream. "If you want, I can take you back to your room?" he offered.

Andrea looked at the clock - four o'clock in the morning. "I can't… I… I can't go back to sleep yet," she admitted in a small voice.

Steve nodded his understanding. "When I have… bad nights," he responded, "sometimes I like to come up here and just watch movies by myself. It helps to take my mind off of things."

"What movies do you watch?" Andrea asked, grateful for the change of subject.

Steve gave a small smile. "I have a list," he admitted. "It's all of the pop culture stuff I've missed out on. I feel like I add to it more than I cross off but there are a lot of movies on there."

"I'm not exactly current on pop culture, either," she offered. "There are a bunch of movies and stuff that Clint says I _have_ to see."

Steve could tell there was a story there - something that Andrea wasn't quite yet ready to share with him. So instead of prying, he smiled. "Maybe we could watch some of them together?" he suggested.

Andrea smiled as Steve rose from his seat and offered her his hand. Taking it, he led her towards the couch.

"JARVIS," Steve called, as he took a seat on the couch next to Andrea, leaving a healthy distance between them. "What's next on my list?"

"It would appear that Star Wars is next on your list, Captain," the AI responded. "Shall I queue it up for you?"

"Thank you, JARVIS."

"I should inform you, Captain Rogers, that I have been forbidden from showing you the prequels. I shall have to start you at Episode IV."

Andrea gave a giggle from under the cocoon of blankets she was buried under.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Steve asked with a smile. It was good to see Andrea smile, even if it was fleeting.

"Sort of," she admitted. "I've heard Clint rant about them before."

"Okay, well, let's start wherever you think, JARVIS."

"Very well, Captain."

As JARVIS brought up the film, Andrea burrowed deeper into her blankets - an action that brought her a few inches closer to Steve.

It was about fifteen minutes into the movie that Andrea broke the companionable silence between them.

"Thank you, Steve," she murmured.

Steve glanced over at her to find her eyes still glued to the screen.

Turning back to the movie, Steve replied, "You're welcome, Andy."


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing that Andrea noticed when she woke early the next morning was that she was warmer than normal. She quickly realized that that was because she was pressed up against the solid wall of Steve's chest and encircled in his arms. Keeping her breathing even, Andrea popped open her eyes and, sure enough, there was Steve's t-shirt clad chest.

 _What do I do?_ Andrea thought as she lay in Steve's arms. She wasn't used to not knowing what to do but was finding it to be much more common since taking this assignment. _Shit, now it's going to be awkward!_

She was saved from her thoughts when Steve's breath hitched. _He's waking up…_ Andrea thought desperately. She couldn't help tensing up as Steve's arms tightened around her. Then Steve froze. _Well, he knows I'm here,_ she thought, defeated.

She chanced a glance up at Steve and sure enough, he was peering down at her with sleep blue eyes that made Andrea's heart skip a beat.

"Andy?" he asked blearily.

"Hey…" she responded awkwardly.

"Hey," he responded, slowly releasing her, allowing them both to sit up.

Sitting next to each other on the couch, Steve scrubbed at his face before turning towards Andrea. "I guess we fell asleep," he offered.

Andrea couldn't help but smile at his obvious statement. "Yeah, I guess so," she returned.

Steve nodded absently before asking, "Breakfast?" with a hopeful smile on his face.

Andrea grinned. _So maybe this won't be awkward,_ she thought as she nodded.

Steve returned her grin before getting up off the couch and heading for the kitchen. Following behind at a more sedate pace, Andrea considered the situation she was in.

Andrea had never trusted anyone enough to be as vulnerable as sleeping with. Her interactions with men had been fleeting moments of passion before going their separate ways. _Do I_ really _trust Steve_ that _much?_ she wondered. While she couldn't really remember the falling asleep part, she knew it'd been nice… she'd liked it.

She was smiling at the memory of waking up with Steve when the man himself interrupted her thoughts. "What are you smiling at?" he asked. Andrea was mortified to discover that she'd been lingering at the island like a grinning fool while Steve pulled out ingredients and a skillet.

"Nothing," she replied hastily, coming around the counter to root around in the refrigerator in an attempt to calm down her flaming cheeks.

Steve, thankfully, let it drop, just shot her a knowing smile. Deciding to make herself useful, Andrea pulled some eggs and cheese out of the refrigerator.

"Omelets?" she asked Steve, holding up her ingredients.

"Perfect," he smiled. "Pancakes?" he countered.

"Perfect," she parrotted. Smiling like fools at each other, the pair set to work.

Andrea had to marvel at how well they worked together. They moved around each other like they'd done it a thousand times. Not really speaking but still working in perfect sync.

Andrea broke the silence when her curiosity got the better of her.

"How did your mission go?" she asked as she flipped an omelet. She'd already plated two but knew how demanding Steve's appetite was.

Steve shrugged at the question. "Uneventful," he responded, pouring more pancake batter on the skillet, "We were tracking down a lead on a possible Hydra base in Illinois. It turned out to be nothing but we stayed the extra day to make sure."

Andrea nodded in acknowledgement but didn't push for more details. A discussion about Hydra didn't sound like a fun breakfast conversation.

"Did you do anything while we were gone?" Steve asked.

Now it was Andrea's turn to shrug. "Not really," she responded. "Unless you count me finally leaving Clint's apartment as something interesting," she added with a small, shy smile in her voice.

"Yeah, I'd noticed that you were a bit… anti-social. I didn't want to push," Steve responded delicately, with a small cautious smile as they sat down at the table with their plates.

Andrea chuckled. "You're an intimidating bunch," she admitted.

Steve nodded his agreement. But before he could say anything else, the elevator doors slid open to reveal Tony, Thor and Bucky.

Bucky stopped in his tracks when he saw them sitting at the table together. Eyeing them critically for a moment, he said nothing before making his way to the coffee machine.

Tony was not so courteous. "Well, well, well," he cajoled as he came into the kitchen area, "look who finally decided to join us."

"Lay off, Stark," Steve admonished sharply.

Grabbing some sort of disgusting looking shake from the refrigerator, Tony made his way over to the duo and sat down next to Andrea.

"It's okay, Steve," Andrea said calmly, "Tony can say whatever he wants to me."

"Bold choice, Agent," Tony responded glibly .

"Why are there no popped tarts?" Thor bellowed from the kitchen pantry, interrupting the tense silence of the kitchen.

"I regret to inform you, Thor, that you consumed the last of the Pop Tarts last evening," JARVIS chimed in, ever the helpful AI.

Andrea could only describe the look on Thor's face as 'kicked puppy.'

Feeling bad for the god of thunder, Andrea got up and asked, "You ever have Toaster Stroodles, Thor?"

"I have not had the pleasure, Lady Andrea," Thor replied solemnly.

"Well then you're in for a treat," she responded, moving into the kitchen.

As Andrea moved about the kitchen retrieving the Toaster Stroodles she'd seen and pulling out the toaster, she was aware of the very tense silence that had descended at the table. Glancing that direction, she saw some very significant eye contact being exchanged between Tony, Steve and Bucky, who had joined them with his coffee.

Choosing to ignore the trio, Andrea focused on the hungry god before her. "So, I think they're better toasted since they're cold," Andrea explained as the stroodles warmed in the toaster.

"I am grateful for your recommendation, Lady Andrea," Thor intoned, watching the toaster intently as if willing his breakfast to finish cooking.

Ignoring the name, Andrea replied, "It's no problem, Thor."

When the toaster popped out the stoodles, Andrea demonstrated how to apply the frosting and handed the pastry over to Thor. He sniffed it before taking a cautious bite. His face immediately lit up before he declared, "Delicious! Another!"

Andrea patted him on the shoulder as she replied, "Make it yourself, big guy," with a smile.

"Looks like he's going to cost me a fortune in Toaster Stroodles, now. Thanks, Agent," Tony snarked, getting up and dumping his glass into the sink and leaning against the counter.

"Anytime, Stark," Andrea snarked back while she grabbed her empty plate from the still tense dining room and loaded it into the dishwasher.

"Tell me, Agent," Stark shot back, "How does Clint have a niece with absolutely no record of her existence before ten years ago?"

Everyone in the room went still at his words. Even Thor paused in his eating.

Andrea didn't move but her eyes went to Steve's. His eyes, thankfully, didn't show any suspicion - merely curiosity.

Andrea turned to face Tony. "Checking up on me, Stark?" she asked, tone cool.

Tony shrugged. "Are you surprised?" he countered.

"Not particularly," Andrea answered. "You strike me as the nosy type."

Rather than take offense, Tony merely replied, "Just looking out for my team."

Andrea nodded her understanding. She would've and had done the same thing. _I should have expected this_. She scolded herself.

"So?" Bucky asked expectantly from his spot next to Steve, his eyes full of suspicion.

Andrea sighed. "I was at a boarding school until I was seventeen," she answered, looking at Steve, going with a very small version of the truth.

"So why no record of it?" Tony asked.

Andrea shrugged. "No clue," she responded, knowing her answer wouldn't do anything to quell their suspicions. "Probably SHIELD to protect my cover on an op."

Nobody seemed to buy that story, despite its plausibility. But while Tony and Bucky still looked at her with mistrust, Steve looked accepting. Not accepting of her lie. He wasn't that naive. But he seemed content not to push her for the truth - for now.

Done with this conversation, Andrea pushed off the counter. "I'm gonna go back to Clint's apartment," she informed them, maybe needlessly, before making her way towards the elevator.

Steve turned in his chair to face her before responding, "See you later, Andy?"

Andrea gave a small smile. "See you later, Steve."

When Andrea was blessedly alone in the elevator, she was struck with a thought.

"JARVIS?" she called.

"Yes, Agent Barton?" he promptly responded.

"Can you thank Steve for breakfast for me the next time he's alone?" she asked shyly.

"Of course, Agent Barton." Andrea smiled as she leaned back against the elevator wall.

"Andy?" Bucky asked incredulously, the barest of mocking smiles in his voice.

"Don't start," Steve replied, turning back in his chair.

"I'm sorry, are we just supposed to believe that bullshit story?" Tony asked as Steve got up to put his dishes in the sink.

"What the hell is your problem, Tony?" Steve shot back, ignoring Tony's question.

"What's my problem? What's your problem, Cap?" Tony retaliated.

"You can't just… talk to her like that! She's part of the team now."

"Part of the team?!" Tony asked incredulously.

"Coulson wouldn't have assigned her to us if she wasn't trustworthy," Steve argued.

"Oh, and Coulson's never been duped before, right?" Tony shot back.

"Tony -"

"Why do you trust her, Steve?" Bucky asked calmly, finally breaking his silence.

"Because Nat and Clint do," Steve answered simply.

"Bullshit," Bucky snapped, standing up and moving to stand at the island opposite Steve. "There's more to it than that."

"You do seem to trust her a great deal considering your short acquaintance," Thor chimed in.

Steve didn't respond - just stared down his friend while Tony looked on, intrigued.

"Why do you trust her, Steve?" Bucky pressed again when it became obvious that Steve wasn't going to break the silence.

Steve sighed and, remembering Andrea's words to him, responded, "I don't know. But I do," before striding out of the kitchen towards the elevator.

Despite his foul mood as he entered the elevator, he couldn't help but smile when, as the doors closed, JARVIS intoned, "Excuse me, Captain Rogers, Agent Barton offers her heartfelt thanks for this morning's breakfast."

As Steve was being grilled by his friends, Andrea was making her way down the hall towards Clint's apartment.

Irritated by the turn breakfast had taken, Andrea wasn't in a particularly good mood as she approached the apartment. Andrea hated feeling like a teenager caught breaking curfew. Yet here she was, dreading explaining herself to an overprotective uncle. She paused as she reached the door. _You can do this_ , she told herself. _You're an adult for gods' sake._ Taking a fortifying breath, she stepped through the door.

Prepared to face an irritated Clint, Andrea was pleasantly surprised to find Natasha sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.

"So you didn't sleep here last night," Natasha said by way of a greeting, glancing up from her magazine and smirking at Andy.

Knowing it was pointless to lie, Andrea plopped down next to Natasha with a sigh. "Not for all of it," she admitted.

"Bad night?" Natasha asked. Andrea didn't bother answering. Her silence was answer enough.

When Andrea didn't speak, Natasha went on. "Why don't you get showered and changed and then you and I can get out of here," she suggested.

"What?" Andrea asked.

"You. Me. Out of the tower," she clarified with a grin.

Smiling at the thought of a break from the tower, Andrea jumped off the couch and jogged towards her room. "Give me twenty minutes," she called before slamming her bedroom door.

True to her word, Andrea emerged twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in skinny jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt. Shrugging into her leather jacket, she was ready to go.

Thankfully, the duo didn't run into anyone on their way out of the tower. Andrea had had her fill of Avengers interactions for the day.

Except for Natasha, that is. The pair spent the morning exploring clothing stores and bookshops. They weren't really looking to buy anything. They were content to wander around Manhattan, catching up in a way they hadn't been able to for quite some time.

As they made their way towards a little bistro that Natasha liked for lunch, Nat broached the topic that Andrea had been dreading.

"So you finally left the apartment…" she started.

"I may have done some exploring," she hedged.

"Mhm…" Natasha hummed in response. "And did you discover anything interesting?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"I ran into Bruce," Andrea admitted.

"And how'd that go?"

Andrea shrugged. "We had a few lunches together. He's surprisingly easy to talk to," she replied.

Natasha caught Andrea off guard when she commented, "And of course you spent some time with Steve."

Andrea sputtered. "How do you know that?" Andrea hissed.

Natasha shrugged. "You weren't there when Clint got back last night. He asked JARVIS where you were."

"And he ratted on me?"

"Sang like a canary," Natasha replied.

Andrea fell into a broody silence.

"So you and Steve?" Natasha prompted.

Andrea shrugged. "There's not much to tell," she replied.

"Tell it anyway," Natasha requested kindly.

Andrea glanced over at her friend and considered her. It wasn't a question of trust. She trusted Natasha with her life. It was more a matter of admitting to Natasha, and to herself, that this… _thing_ with Steve was real. The fact remained, however, that she was out of her element with Steve and needed to share with someone. So she did.

"It all started at Georgio's…" Andrea told Natasha the whole story - starting in Brooklyn all the way up to this morning. She omitted the details of her nightmare but described how Steve had helped her through her bad night.

She had just wrapped up her tale as the pair arrived at the bistro. Natasha was silent as they entered the restaurant. Andrea glanced at her face as they made their way to a table. She didn't know if she was relieved or worried to find the redhead smiling.

"I think you two are good together," Natasha commented as they sat down.

Andrea blanched. "We're not… _together_." Andrea responded.

Natasha shrugged. "Not yet," she replied with a sly smile.

"Nat-"

"You're good for each other," Nat interrupted.

Andrea paused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"He needs someone who looks past Captain America and appreciates Steve," Natasha replied. "You need someone who can be patient with you. Someone that won't care about your abilities because he's in the same boat."

Andrea looked away.

"You can let him in, Andy," Natasha murmured.

Andrea looked back at her friend. "I can try," she responded just as softly.

Natasha nodded in response. Suddenly she grinned. "You know what? I'm actually not that hungry," she said as she gathered her things and stood.

Andrea looked on, confused. "What? Nat-"

"Hello," came a voice from behind Andrea. A voice Andrea was coming to know very well.

Sure enough, when she turned around, she found a confused looking Steve glancing between the two women.

"Hello, Steve," Natasha greeted. "I see you got my message. I was just leaving but why don't you take my place?" she suggested with a sly smile.

"Oh, um…" Steve stumbled, clearly torn between wanting to stay and imposing on Andrea's time.

Taking pity on the man, Andrea smiled and assured, "It's fine, Steve."

Steve shot her a smile and moved to sit down when Natasha stopped him with a hand on his arm. Stepping up on her tiptoes, she said quietly into his ear, "Hurt her, push her, mistreat her in any way, and it will be my mission in life to end you, Rogers."

Knowing she was serious and what she was capable of, Steve gulped and nodded his understanding.

With that, Natasha smiled at them both and sauntered off without a backwards glance.

Steve watched her as she went, suddenly feeling nervous. Summoning his bravery, he took Natasha's vacated seat across from Andrea.

"Fancy running into you here," Andrea ventured.

Steve chuckled. "Yeah. Nat texted me about a half hour ago asking me to meet her here."

Andrea nodded. "I think we've been setup," she observed with a hesitant smile.

Steve chuckled again. "Yeah I think you're right," he agreed. "She's very protective of you," he offered after a short silence.

"I know," Andrea responded with a smile. Of course she had heard what Natasha had whispered in Steve's ear thanks to her enhanced hearing. But Steve didn't need to know that.

"Apparently bad things will happen to me if I hurt you," he replied, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

Andrea fought to keep her expression neutral. They hadn't really discussed… _them_. Andrea wasn't sure she was ready for that conversation.

"She's very protective," Andrea replied, using Steve's own words.

"She loves you," Steve ventured.

Andrea could only smile at that. "Yeah she does," Andrea agreed.

"You two seem very close," Steve observed with a smile.

Andrea returned it as she replied with a simple, "She's my family."

Before the conversation could continue, the waiter approached to take their orders.

Andrea watched as Steve searched the menu for something to eat. Andrea knew the menu pretty well at this particular bistro. She doubted that he was going to find anything that would satisfy his super-soldier appetite.

"Hey Steve?" Andrea chimed in, getting Steve's attention and momentarily ignoring the watier.

Steve glanced up from his menu. "Yeah?"

"There's a Five-Guys down the street," she offered with a smile.

The look of relief on Steve's face was almost comical. "That sounds amazing," he enthused.

Chuckling, Andrea turned towards the watier. "We're actually going to get going," she said as she stood and gathered her jacket. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

The waiter merely rolled his eyes and strode off.

Andrea turned back to Steve. "Shall we?" he asked as he caught her eye, offering her his arm.

Feeling brave, Andrea looped her arm in his and replied, "Let's go."

The pair walked out of the bistro arm-in-arm.

Steve grinned at the woman across the table from him as she started eating her second cheeseburger. He was a bit surprised when she unabashedly ordered two burgers, fries and a milkshake. Of course, her appetite didn't compare to his own but it was still impressive for a woman of her size.

Steve was actually pretty happy that she had a hefty appetite. He was used to feeling self conscious on dates as the women ate daintily while his metabolism demanded so much more of him. But Andrea was utterly unconcerned with his pile of burgers as she focused on her own food.

As the duo ate in a comfortable silence, Steve couldn't help but wonder if this was actually a date. He certainly wanted it to be but it was hard to get a read on Andrea. There were times like now that she seemed confident and collected - almost like Natasha. Other times, though, she seemed like a skittish horse.

He'd suspected almost since the beginning that she had nightmares - bad nights like him. You couldn't do jobs like theirs without getting scars along the way. But after last night, it was clear that her bad nights weren't those of a typical SHIELD agent. They seemed to be more on par with the nightmares that still plagued Bucky.

 _She's been through something horrific_ , he thought grimly as he finished off his third cheeseburger. Something that had left deep scars in its wake.

"Is my company that bad?" Andrea's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Steve's head snapped up to find Andrea leaning back in her seat sipping her milkshake.

"What? No," he responded emphatically.

Andrea chuckled. "I'm just teasing you, Steve," she admitted. "You just looked so serious."

"I'm a serious guy," he teased back with a daring wink.

To his great relief, Andrea smiled. "Good to know," she replied.

Steve was casting about for something to say when Andrea beat him to it. "So, Steve," she said, leaning forward in her seat, "Tell me something about yourself."

Steve smiled as he recalled saying something similar to her on their first date. "Like what?" he asked.

Andrea shrugged. "Something I don't know," she replied with a smile.

"Most of my life is public record," he responded, his smile dimming somewhat. "The rest is probably in my SHIELD file."

When he glanced away from Andrea's face, he felt her hand reach out for his. When he looked back she said softly, "I'm not really interested in the man SHIELD thinks they know. I want to know _you_."

As if just realizing what she'd said, Andrea quickly withdrew her hand as her eyes went wide and her face turned red.

"I like it when you blush," Steve said with laughter in his voice.

"I seem to be doing it a lot around you," she grumbled in response, not meeting Steve's eyes as her cheeks continued to flame.

"Yeah, why is that?" Steve teased.

Steve could only smile as he saw Andrea's blush deepen. He wasn't all that surprised when she ignored the question and instead took a generous gulp of her milkshake. He _was_ surprised, however, when her eyes suddenly went wide and her left hand reached up to grab her forehead.

He started laughing, though, when he realized what had happened.

"Brain freeze?" he asked, the laughter still evident in his voice.

"Shut up, Rogers," she hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes still scrunched shut.

Steve smartly shut his mouth but continued to look on, amused, as Andrea breathed her way through her brain freeze. Here was a woman who for all he knew could kill a man with her pinkies, brought down by a milkshake. Steve would be lying if he said he didn't find it incredibly endearing.

Finally, after a few minutes of careful breathing, Andrea opened her eyes and glared at Steve.

"I blame you for that," she said good naturedly.

Steve held his hands up in surrender. "That's fair," he acquiesced.

The comfortable silence the followed was interrupted when Steve's phone gave a small chirp. Pulling it out quickly, he read the message then looked apologetically at Andrea.

"I've got to get back to the Tower," he said. "I have a training session with Thor."

"That's okay," Andrea replied. "I'll walk back with you," she offered, standing up.

Disappointed that their afternoon was coming to an end, Steve begrudgingly led the way out of the restaurant.

"I'm sorry this keeps happening," Steve apologized as they started off down the street.

"What?" Andrea asked, confused.

"My work interrupting our… time together," he answered delicately, not wanting to risk using the word 'date.'

Andrea smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Steve. Like I said before, I know what you do for a living. Plus, it's probably best I get back as well. I haven't talked to Clint since yesterday and he's probably a little irritated with me."

"Why?" Steve asked.

Andrea sighed. "Because I wasn't there when he got back last night," she admitted.

"And he'll have a problem with that?"

"Probably. He's very protective. Even more so than Nat."

As they crossed the street, Steve mulled over her words. "Will his reaction be better or worse because you spent last night with me?"

Andrea hesitated before answering. "I honestly don't know. I've never really… spent time with a man before. It's tough to say how he'll react."

Steve's brain faltered at her words. _She's never spent time with a man?_ he marveled at her words. _How could that be?_ he wondered to himself, incredulous that a woman like Andrea didn't have any experience with dating.

Deciding not to push it, Steve steered the subject in a different direction. "Was he always so protective?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Andrea responded with a bit of a laugh in her voice. "Since the day my mother dropped me off at my grandparents', Clint has been watching out for me."

"Your mother left you?" he asked in a soft voice, hoping that she didn't shut down. He really did want to get to know her better.

Once more, Andrea hesitated before answering, as if debating whether or not to tell him anything. Finally, she answered. "Clint's brother is my father. He took off before I was born. My birth mother dropped me off at my grandparents' house when I was a few days old. I still have no idea who she is," she added. Shaking her head, she went on. "Anyway, my grandparents resented the hell out of my existence so they kind of dumped me in Clint's lap. He was nine."

"Jesus," Steve murmured.

"It wasn't that bad, actually," Andrea responded as they neared the Tower. "He fed me, changed me, read to me. Hell, he even named me."

"He named you?" Steve repeated.

"Yeah. He raised me, Steve. So you can understand if he's a little bit protective of me from time to time."

Steve nodded his understanding. "I don't blame him one bit," he responded.

As they got to the front doors of the Tower, Andrea stopped and turned to Steve. Taking a deep breath, she said, "You're probably going to get some flack from him if you and I… keep spending time together."

Steve smiled. "I am?"

"Like I said, I've never done this before," she responded.

"Done what before?" he asked, needing to know just what she was talking about.

"Dated," she replied simply.

Steve smiled once more. "Is that what we're doing?" he asked in a slightly teasing tone.

"It's what we're thinking of doing. Working up to doing. Whatever," she rambled.

"How about we just spend some time together and see where it goes?" Steve suggested. "No expectations."

Andrea considered his words. "I can do that," she finally answered with a small smile.

Steve grinned. "Good."

Steve gestured for Andrea to lead the way into the tower. They made their way silently across the lobby towards the elevators. The atmosphere was a bit tense as they rode the elevator up to their respective floors, both of them shooting each other smiling glances.

Finally, the elevator reached the gym floor - Steve's stop. "See you later, Andy," he said, stepping off the elevator and throwing her a wink over his shoulder.

"Bye, Steve," she responded, blushing again.

The door closed on Steve's chuckle.


	9. Chapter 9

Andrea walked down the hallway towards Clint's apartment in a daze. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd done the right thing with Steve. _I can't believe I told him all that,_ she thought as she neared the door. She had never shared such personal information with anyone before. _No one._ And yet, she found herself telling a man she barely knows about her childhood.

Rather than feel panicked about it, however, she felt relieved. She felt as if there was now one less secret between her and Steve. _I wonder what it would feel like to have_ no _secrets from him_ , she mused.

Shrugging that off as an impossibility, Andrea approached Clint's door. Her brain was so preoccupied with thoughts of Steve that she walked right in without any regard for the potentially irritated uncle that may be waiting for her.

Making her way towards her bedroom, Andy was brought up short by the sight of her uncle sitting on the kitchen counter, slicing an apple with a small knife and using it to feed himself.

He glanced up when she approached. "Hey, stranger," he remarked without a hint of irritation in his voice.

Surprised, Andrea could only reply, "Hey, yourself." Deciding that hiding in her room was no longer an option, Andy changed trajectory and made her way to the refrigerator for some orange juice.

"So…," Clint started nonchalantly. _Too nonchalantly,_ in Andrea's opinion. "You weren't here when I got back last night."

"No, I wasn't," she responded simply as she poured herself a glass and replaced the juice in the fridge.

"You refuse to leave this apartment for a week and avoid the rest of the team like crazy until I go on a mission and then all of a sudden you're wandering the halls and getting cozy with Steve?" he asked, no hint of judgement in his voice, merely curiosity.

Andrea sighed. "It's not like that, Clint, and you know it."

"What's it like, Andy?" he asked softly.

"It's…" Andrea trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

"Talk to me, kiddo," Clint prodded gently.

"I had a nightmare," she muttered, looking down into her glass, refusing to meet Clint's eyes.

"Bad one?" he asked.

Andrea nodded. "I needed… I needed to get out of here, Clint," she explained.

Clint hummed in understanding, allowing her to continue.

"I went to the gym. I beat the hell out of a bag. I don't know how long I was down there but Steve found me some time after you guys got back. I was in really bad shape, Clint," she looked up at him then, her eyes shining.

"Andy…" Clint slid off the counter and made his way towards her. Andrea let herself be pulled into a hug.

Andrea wouldn't let the tears fall but she couldn't help but sniffle a little into her uncle's shoulder.

Pulling away, she went on. "Steve took me upstairs, fixed up my hands, gave me ice cream and watched Star Wars with me."

Clint made an approving sound at that.

"He… He put me back together, Clint," she said seriously, looking up at her uncle.

Clearly surprised by her wording, Clint's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Andrea-" Clint started. Andy knew a reprimand, or at least a warning, was coming.

"Steve and I are… hanging out, Clint," she interrupted. "You're going to have to be okay with that," she explained calmly yet firmly.

Clint sighed deeply before taking a step back. He gave Andy a small smile. "You're a grown woman, Andy," he explained. "I may call you 'kiddo' but we both know you grew up a long time ago. Plus," he added with a smile, "I know better than to try to tell you what to do."

Andrea smiled in response but paused when Clint's face suddenly turned serious. "What?" she asked, thinking he'd changed his mind and would make things difficult for her.

"It's just…" he began, "I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

Andrea considered his words. "You think I'll hurt him?" she asked, voice small.

Not one to sugar coat things for his niece, Clint explained, "If you don't let him in. If you don't let him see the real Andrea. The Andrea that Nat and I see, then yeah, I think you'll hurt him."

Andrea blinked back tears as she nodded her head in understanding.

"You'll get there, kiddo," he assured her, pulling her into another hug. "Just think about what I said."

Andrea nodded again.

"Now," Clint said in a much more chipper tone, "I'm headed down to the gym to do a little training session with the team. Care to join?"

"Maybe some other time," Andrea hedged.

Clint nodded. "Okay, but there's a family dinner tonight."

Andrea opened her mouth to decline but Clint cut her off, "No excuses, kiddo. If you're going to be a part of this team, you're going to have to know how to work with them both on _and_ off the field. You can't hide away in here."

"Okay, Clint," she answered, accepting the truth in his words, "I won't."

Clint nodded. "Good," he replied. "I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

Andrea returned his nod. "You got it, Uncle Clint," she responded with a mocking smile.

Clint chuckled as he turned and made his way out of the apartment.

With all of the Avengers now back from the mission, Andrea didn't feel wholly comfortable with wandering around the Tower - especially if she was going to be having dinner with them all again. So, Andrea spent the rest of the day bumming around the apartment.

She tried to while away some time by cleaning but the Tower's cleaning staff seemed to have that under control. With that option out the window, she decided that physical activity would do the trick. It was her usual go-to for times of stress or boredom. However, after her fiftieth push up, she found her mind drifting once more. Not wanting her thoughts to dwell on a certain blue-eyed super soldier, Andrea doubled down on her exercise and didn't stop until she hit her hundred and fiftieth push up.

 _Great, now I stink_ , Andrea grimaced as she made her way to the shower. Refreshed after her second shower of the day, Andrea opted for a pair of grey sweatpants and a SHIELD t-shirt. _No need to dress up for these people,_ she argued to herself.

Once more at a loss as to what to do, Andrea found herself wandering towards Clint's bookshelves. After a quick perusal, she smiled when she found the first of the Harry Potter book series. Never having read it, Andrea decided to give it a chance.

As she sat on the couch and prepared to dive into the book, she had a thought.

"Hey JARVIS?" Andrea called, feeling brave.

"Yes, Agent Barton?" the AI responded immediately.

"If Steve's alone, could you ask him if Harry Potter is on his list?" she asked. If JARVIS noticed her blush, well, at least he was the only one to see it.

"He has replied that it is indeed on his list. He wishes to know why you are asking, Agent Barton?" he queried.

"Let him know that I just found it on Clint's bookshelf and I'm starting it. Maybe we could be book buddies and read it at the same time?" _I can't believe I'm suggesting this!_ , she admonished herself. _I want to sink into the couch and die!_

Suddenly her phone pinged with an incoming text message.

 **Unknown:** Hey there! Thought this might be easier than using JARVIS as an intermediary. I'd love to be 'book buddies' with you! ;)

Andrea smiled at the text. JARVIS must have given Steve her number. She quickly saved his number into her contacts.

 **Andrea:** Do you have a copy? (Nice use of the winking emoticon, btw)

 **Steve:** Tony bought me the entire series when I first made the list.

 **Steve:** I thought you'd appreciate the wink. I've noticed that it makes you blush.

 **Andrea:** I'm just going to go read now…

 **Steve:** See you at dinner?

Andrea flattered herself by thinking that Steve's text sounded almost hopeful.

 **Andrea:** See you at dinner :)

Blushing once more, Andrea set her phone down and turned her attention towards Harry Potter.

Andrea was anxiously awaiting Harry's sorting when a familiar British voice interrupted.

"I beg your pardon, Agent Barton, but I have been asked to inform you that your presence in the communal kitchen has been vehemently requested by the other Agent Barton," JARVIS informed her.

Despite her trepidation about dinner, Andrea smiled. "Vehemently requested, huh?"

"I took the liberty of cleaning up Agent Barton's message," the AI replied simply.

Andrea smiled once more before getting up off the couch. Setting her book on the coffee table, she looked down at her appearance with a scowl. She should probably change since she would be spending the evening with a bunch of veritable strangers but if she was ever going to feel more comfortable in the Tower, she had to start somewhere.

Running her fingers through her hair to tame any flyaways, she made her way out of the apartment and down the hall. As the elevator climbed, Andrea tried not to think too much about where she was going - she didn't want to chicken out and face the unending ridicule of her uncle.

When the elevator doors opened, her ears and eyes were assaulted with the noise and movement of the entire Avengers team assembled in the kitchen area. She'd been to one family dinner before but she now had a feeling that they were a bit more sedated that night due to her presence. That didn't appear to be the case tonight.

Andrea lingered near the elevators as everyone else was engrossed in their conversations. Steve, noticing her and her hesitation, made his way over.

"You going to join us?" he asked with a smile.

Andrea returned the smile, albeit a bit nervously. "I was thinking about it," she answered.

"Come on," Steve said, offering her his hand.

Before she could think better of it, Andrea reached out and took his hand. Grinning, Steve gave her hand a tug and led her into the kitchen.

Andrea loved the feel of her hand in his. But she was grateful when, instead of drawing attention to them, he let go of her hand once they were amidst the team. She was further grateful for the fact that no one made a big deal about her presence. She was through being the center of attention.

Seeking out the familiar, Andrea smiled at Steve before making her way over to Nat who sat at the counter nursing a glass of wine.

As she opened her mouth to greet the redhead, Thor cut her off.

"What will the Lady Andrea have to drink?" he asked from his place across the counter.

"Um… just water, please?" she asked after a slight hesitation. While she could trust Clint and Nat to have her back, there were too many strangers here for her to feel entirely comfortable yet.

Thor smiled in response to her request. "As the lady commands." He winked at her before moving away to get her drink.

Andrea couldn't help but smile at the friendly gesture. A glance at Steve, however, told her that he may have a different opinion. He didn't look mad or anything. He merely looked curious. _Good_ , Andrea thought. She didn't want to have to deal with any jealousy on his part. If she couldn't be trusted, this _thing_ between them would never work.

Still wanting to give him some reassurance, though, Andrea smiled and winked at him. The wink had the desired effect as the super soldier's cheeks tinged pink and he was forced to look away. _Not such a ladies man after all_ , she thought with a smile.

Unable to resist, Andrea pulled out her phone and composed a quick text message.

 **Andrea** : Looks like I'm not the only one that blushes at a wink ;)

She watched as Steve pulled out his phone and smiled as he grinned and looked up at her, a twinkle in his eye.

Andrea's smile faltered, however, when her eyes found Bucky's. He had seen the whole exchange - and he was not happy.

Deciding to ignore him, Andrea turned attention back to Thor who had placed a glass of ice water in front of her.

"For the lady," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, kind sir," Andrea replied with a smile of her own.

Andrea finally turned her attention to her friend to find Natasha smirking at her.

"About time you noticed me" the redhead teased, eyes flicking in Steve's direction. Andrea summoned all of her willpower to fight down a blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied instead, taking a drink of her water.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Nat replied quietly, an equally quiet laugh in her voice, "It's nice to see you having moon eyes over someone."

Andrea lost the fight with her blush. "I _do not_ make moon eyes," she hissed under her breath.

Natasha continued to smile as she shrugged. "Not until now." With that she got up and moved towards the giant table behind them.

It was then that Andrea noticed that everyone else was moving in the same direction. Not wanting to be the odd one out, she moved quickly to find a seat. Thankfully, she found herself wedged between Clint and Natasha.

As she sat, Andrea glanced around the table for Steve. After the afternoon they'd spent together, it was as if her eyes couldn't help but seek him out. Her eyes didn't have far to go in this case as she found him sitting across from her. He was looking at her intently with a small smile on his face.

Fearing getting caught, Andrea looked away, though she couldn't help the smile that overcame her face.

Needing a distraction, Andrea looked around the table at the assorted Avengers. It didn't seem as if they were sitting in any particular order, with Bruce at the head of the table. It was also pretty chaotic. Everyone was talking over each other as they passed around dishes of spaghetti, garlic bread and salad.

It occurred to her that in that moment, at that table, they weren't Avengers at all. They were a family.

Rather than be pleased or touched by this fact, Andrea felt an ache grow in her chest. She glanced to Clint, seated on her right. He and Natasha were part of a family. A family wholly separate from her. _But they're_ my _family,_ she thought as she mechanically served herself some spaghetti. She knew she was Clint's family. But he had this one, too. _Can the two be one and the same someday?_ she thought. Looking around at the strangers at the table, Andrea didn't have high hopes. She would always be an outsider here.

Andrea was shaken out of her maudlin thoughts by a soft kick to her foot. Her eyes snapped up to meet Steve's concerned ones. She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile but, judging by the look on Steve's face, she was not successful.

Suddenly, though, Steve's face was sporting a mischievous smile. After a quick glance around the table to be sure no one was watching, Steve forked so much pasta into his mouth that his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's.

Andrea couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled out of her. Unfortunately, the laugh proved to be louder than she intended as she suddenly had every eye at the table pointed in her direction.

"Something funny, Agent?" Tony asked dryly.

"Um… yeah," she answered, still smiling, "Clint farted."

Next to her Clint choked on a mouthful of garlic bread. Andrea was relieved that, as she patted Clint's back, most everyone else was chuckling. Even Tony cracked a smile.

"Aren't you a little old for fart humor?" Bucky asked a bit icily from his seat beside Steve.

Without missing a beat Andrea replied, "I guess I'm really just a kid at heart." She wouldn't let Bucky's stony glare take the smile that Steve had put on her face.

Conversation flowed easily after that. Though she primarily talked to Clint and Natasha, she found herself also talking to Steve and Thor occasionally.

Andrea was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. She felt included, almost. _I hope this lasts_ , she thought as her eyes met Steve's once more.

When Steve had first brought Bucky back to the Tower, Tony had offered him an apartment of his own, just as he had with the rest of the team. Bucky had refused and had instead taken Steve up on his offer to stay in his spare bedroom and live with him. The arrangement had suited both men. Steve needed the reassurance that Bucky was back and wasn't going anywhere while Bucky had been comforted knowing that Steve was close by and capable of stopping him if he slipped into Winter Soldier mode. Both men had many occasions to be grateful for their living arrangement.

Right now, though, Steve was rethinking it altogether.

"Don't think I didn't see you two tonight," Bucky said as their apartment door shut behind them.

"What are you talking about, Buck?" Steve asked. He'd known this lecture was coming. James Buchanan Barnes had been giving his opinions on Steve's life choices since they were children and he didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Steve," Bucky replied.

Steve sighed as he poured himself a glass of water. It was conversations like this that made him wish alcohol had any affect on him.

"This is about Andrea," Steve stated plainly.

"Yes," Bucky replied just as succinctly, taking his spot on the opposite side of the island. "What's going on with you two?" he asked.

"You know what's going on," Steve pointed out. "You know we met in Brooklyn, went on a date and you know she turned up here as Coulson's SHIELD liaison."

"And now…?" Bucky prompted.

"And now... we're seeing where this goes," Steve replied, smiling to himself at the thought.

"You can't be serious," Bucky responded, incredulous.

"What is your problem with her, Bucky?" Steve finally asked.

"She's hiding something," Bucky pressed.

"You think I don't know that?" Steve growled, getting frustrated. "You think I'm not curious as hell as to why there's no record of her before she's seventeen? Of course I am! But the fact that we don't know her whole history _doesn't_ make her a threat. You should know that better than anyone!"

Both men glared at each other for a moment. Finally, Bucky broke the strained silence.

"I don't trust her, Steve. You shouldn't either."

"She's Clint's niece, Bucky," Steve tried. "Natasha trusts her. Coulson trusts her. Why isn't that enough for you?"

Bucky sighed and looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Because I look at her and my instincts tell me she's dangerous. She's an unknown and there's just… more to her than we're seeing. Like there's something lurking there. I can't trust that, Steve."

Steve sighed, resigned. He knew that that as good as he was going to get from his friend tonight.

"Okay, Bucky."

Without another word Steve moved past Bucky, ignoring his glare, to the shelves lining the living room walls. Grabbing _The Sorcerer's Stone_ , he flopped down on the couch and ignored the other man as he turned to the first page and began to read.

 _Why can't that punk see that I'm trying to protect him?_ Bucky thought angrily to himself as he pummeled one of the dummies in the Avengers' main training gym. He had been in the gym since he'd left the apartment in a huff after Steve had ended their discussion and buried his nose in that damned book.

Bucky had hoped that beating the crap out of something would improve his mood but, an hour into his workout, he was still pissed as hell at his friend for not listening to him.

 _She's dangerous,_ his instincts kept blaring at him. _But is she a threat to the team?_ he wondered.

"That's the real question," he mumbled to himself as he stepped away from the dummy.

"They say that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," came a familiar drawl from behind him.

Bucky turned and, sure enough, Clint Barton stood behind him with an amused smirk on his face.

"Not now, Barton," Bucky growled, turning back to the dummy, fully intending to ignore the blonde.

"Oh, so it's 'Barton' now is it?" Clint snarked, traces of hurt in his voice. Bucky glanced at Clint, who was now moving around the dummy so that Bucky could see him while he punched.

"So you're talking to me now?" Bucky shot back. The archer had been steadfastly ignoring Bucky since he'd been shot on a mission almost two weeks ago.

Clint shrugged. "You were a dumbass for moving out of cover," he stated simply. Before Bucky could interject to defend himself he added, "But you were trying to do what you thought needed to be done so… I'm letting it go."

Bucky nodded in response. He didn't want to say anything and risk having Clint get pissed again and go back to not talking to him. Plus, he emhad/em been dumb to move out into the open like he had. No sense in admitting that to Clint, though.

"So what's got your panties in a twist?" Clint asked as Bucky went back to pummelling the dummy.

Bucky considered how to respond. He couldn't very well come out and say "I think your niece is a threat and Steve won't listen to me." That wasn't likely to be received very well.

"It's nothing," he responded instead.

"You're lying," Clint shot back immediately. Bucky's eyes met Clint's. "I can always tell with you," he added with a small (shy?) smile.

Bucky sighed and decided on giving Clint a version of the truth. "Steve and I had a… disagreement," he admitted.

"About?"

Bucky merely looked at Clint. Despite him not saying anything, however, Clint seemed to get it.

"He told you about Andrea," he surmised.

"That they're dating? I figured it out myself. They aren't exactly subtle," Bucky groused as he moved away from the bag and began unwrapping his hands. He was done for the night.

"I wouldn't say they're dating," Clint responded as he walked over to the bench with Bucky, "I'd say they're 'testing the waters.'"

Bucky merely grunted in response.

"You don't approve," Clint observed, a small bite to his tone.

"I didn't say that," Bucky defended.

Clint considered Bucky as the brunette finished unwrapping his hands and took a generous drink of water.

"Do you have some sort of problem with Andrea?" Clint asked at last.

"Why would I?" Bucky asked, trying to find a way out of this discussion. He _really_ didn't want to add a fight with Clint to his evening.

Clint didn't say anything, merely stared Bucky down. Bucky didn't know what it was about the blonde, but he couldn't help but crack under that unrelenting gaze.

With a sigh, Bucky admitted, "My instincts are telling me she's a threat."

Clint's eyebrows rose at that. "You think she's dangerous," he stated.

Bucky shrugged. "You telling me she's not?" he countered.

Clint considered his words. "Not to you, Bucky. Not to us," he replied, gesturing around as if to encompass the whole Tower.

"I wish I could believe you, Clint, I really do," Bucky said, turning to face the blonde. "But there's just _something_ about her that screams 'danger' to me. And until I know what it is, I won't be letting my guard down."

To his surprise, Clint didn't look mad. He looked… disappointed? "I wish you could trust me, Bucky," he said softly.

Bucky took a step towards Clint. There was now about a foot of space between them. "I _do_ trust you, Clint," he responded, just as softly. "But you can't honestly tell me that I'm wrong." Before Clint could respond he pressed on, "It's my job to protect this team. To protect Steve. Protect you," he added.

Clint's eyes were sad as he replied, "It's all of our jobs to protect each other, Bucky. And Andrea can be a part of that."

Bucky nodded. "Just… give me time to work this out?" he asked.

Clint considered Bucky for a moment before he nodded. "Okay, Bucky," he replied with a small smile. Bucky loved that smile - Not that he was about to admit that to anyone but himself.

Clint's smile got wider before he said, "You wanna spar?"

Bucky grinned in return. They sparred together often but hadn't in the last two weeks while Clint was ignoring him.

"You're on," he replied.

Bucky was grateful for Clint when, later that evening, he returned to his apartment in a much better mood than when he'd left it.

He was even able to find some amusement in finding Steve asleep, sprawled across the couch, a Harry Potter book on his chest and phone in his hand.

Shaking his head at his friend, he covered him with the thick blanket from the back of the couch and made his way to his own room to turn in for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

"You're of no use to this team if you don't train with us," Clint argued as Andrea inhaled her first cup of coffee the next morning. She'd been up quite late texting Steve as the two of them read the first Harry Potter book. They hadn't talked about anything besides the book, but Andrea couldn't keep the smile off her face as she thought about their exchanges.

 **Andrea:** What part are you on?

 **Steve:** Apparently there's a troll in the dungeon…

 **Andrea:** Read faster! I'm almost done!

 **Steve:** Well, not all of us spent the afternoon reading, Agent Barton ;)

Andrea had fallen asleep with her phone in her hand, wondering when she'd get the chance to talk to Steve again.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a hand waving in front of her face.

"Hello! Earth to Andrea!" Clint teased.

"What?" Andrea grumbled, still not awake yet.

Putting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of her, Clint tried again. "I said… Maybe you're a little out of practice."

Andrea snorted. She knew full well when her uncle was trying to bait her into getting his way.

"I'm not out of practice, Clint," Andrea replied around a mouth full of eggs.

"Oh, very ladylike," Clint commented, pulling a face at Andrea's behavior.

Andrea couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're one to talk," Andrea admonished.

Clint shrugged, dismissing the subject. They ate in comfortable silence and, after another cup of coffee, Andrea was feeling much more awake.

"So what do you say, Andy?" Clint finally asked.

Andrea sighed. She knew he was right. Training with the team was a necessary factor in this mission and she was nothing if not a professional. She'd have to get over her fear of detection eventually, may as well try to start now. Shoving down her fears, Andrea met her uncle's eyes.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" she responded with a smile.

"You know the only people I can realistically train with are you and Natasha, right?" Andrea observed as they walked into the Avengers' gym thirty minutes later. Andrea was grateful that there was no one else there when they arrived. She wasn't naive enough to believe that this would always be the case, but it was nice to be able to ease into things.

"What do you mean?" Clint asked as he dropped his workout bag on a bench.

"I mean," Andrea replied, depositing her bag next to Clint's, "that it's not like I'm going to be able to spar with Thor."

"Yeah, but-"

"And Stark and Banner don't train with the team either," Andrea pointed out as she began her warm up stretches.

Clint sighed as he mimicked Andrea's movements. "It's important for you to interact with the team," Clint replied as if that answered anything.

"Clint-" Andrea tried.

"They need to know that you're capable," Clint interrupted. "They need to know that you can take care of yourself and that you're also capable of backing them up in a combat situation. And more than that, they need to learn to trust you. That's never going to happen if you don't connect with them."

Andrea didn't need to say anything in response. Clint knew that she saw the truth of his words. Once they finished their warm up exercises, the pair moved to the sparring mat to get to the real workout.

"You were pretty sluggish this morning," Clint observed as he threw a punch in Andrea's direction. She dodged it deftly and responded in kind. They weren't really pushing themselves yet, still warming up and testing each other.

"Well, I'm not exactly a morning person," Andrea replied, dancing away from a kick. She wasn't about to admit that she was up all night reading a children's book.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Clint asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"No, Clint," Andrea responded with a small sigh. She could've easily answered 'yes' and he would've let it drop, but Andrea couldn't lie to him about things like that. "I was up late reading," she replied simply. No need for him to know about the texting.

"Well, don't make a habit of that," Clint replied. "You need to stay sharp in case we get called out on a mission on short notice."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Uncle Clint," she replied sarcastically. "Being a SHIELD agent for ten years has made me exceedingly stupid about stuff like that."

"You know what, kiddo?" he replied before going in for a real jab.

Andrea hadn't been expecting it and barely brought her arm up in time to block it. Laughing, Andrea bounced away from her uncle and looked for an opening of her own. Conversation over, the fun part of the workout was about to begin.

Steve was walking past the gym when he heard the distinctive sounds of people fighting. Since it was the Avengers' main training gym, he didn't think much of it. That changed when he happened to glance through one of the windows lining the hallway to see Clint and Andrea battling it out on the mat.

Steve had been impressed the few times he'd seen Andrea attack a bag. But a punching bag didn't hit back.

It was clear that Andrea was the more skilled hand-to-hand fighter, but Clint was giving just as good as he was getting. Steve was mesmerized as he watched them trade blows. _She's beautiful,_ he thought as he watched Andrea move.

Steve was startled out of his thoughts by a voice just behind him.

"She's very good, isn't she?" Natasha observed, an unnerving twinkle in her eye.

Steve willed down the blush he could feel forming at being caught staring. Clearing his throat, he replied, "I'm not surprised."

At Natasha's raised eyebrow, he hastened to add, "You said she was as good as you at hand-to-hand."

Natasha smiled. "Flatterer," she replied. "It looks like they've been at it for a bit, let's go rescue Clint, shall we?" she offered before turning and walking through the gym's doors, Steve on her heels.

"Look who I found in the hallway," Natasha called lightly.

Andrea glanced over at the newcomers. Her momentary distraction was the opening Clint needed - a swift sweep of his leg took Andrea's out from under her and sent her down to the mat - flat on her back.

Clint's victorious smile was short lived, however, as Andrea wasted no time in kicking Clint in the back of the knee, bringing him down to the mat as well.

Steve moved to go check for injuries when Natasha's gentle hand on his arm stopped him. Sure enough, the gym was soon filled with the sounds of the Barton's laughter.

Steve smiled. He wasn't sure he'd heard Andrea laugh like that yet.

"Everybody okay?" Steve asked, approaching the mat with Natasha.

Clint was the first to sit up. "We're good, Cap," he replied, still chuckling.

As Clint stood and walked off the mat, Steve took the opportunity to approach a now seated Andrea. She looked up and smiled at him as he reached her.

"Hi," she said.

Steve grinned. "Hi back," he replied, reaching a hand down to help her up. She took it immediately which made him smile wider.

"So, how much did you see?" Andrea asked.

"Enough to see that you're an amazing fighter," Steve replied honestly.

To his delight, the compliment made her blush.

"And I definitely saw Clint knock you on your ass," he teased.

That got a chuckle out of her. "Yeah, he got lucky," she replied, moving off the mat towards her bag, where Clint was talking with Natasha.

"Maybe you and I could spar some time," Steve suggested off-handedly.

He was surprised when she stopped suddenly and turned to him. He was even more surprised to see that her eyes now showed hints of fear rather than the happiness they'd shown mere moments before.

"Andy, what's wrong?" he asked, the concern so evident in his voice that Clint and Natasha stopped talking and looked their way.

Andrea spared them a glance before turning back to Steve.

"I, um… I don't think that's a great idea, Steve," she finally responded.

Steve nodded, trying to understand. "Is it because you think I'll hurt you?" he asked, trying to keep the insecurity out of his voice.

To his relief, Andrea gave him a small smile. "No, Steve," she replied. "I know you won't hurt me."

"Then why not?" he asked.

"I'm just… I'd rather not," she said.

Steve nodded again, not quite understanding. "Okay… no sparring for now."

Steve was glad to see most of that fear leave her eyes at his concession. He suddenly got an idea that he hoped would make her genuinely smile again.

"How about dinner instead?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Dinner?" she repeated, that smile he was looking for making its way onto her face.

"Yeah," he replied. "You. Me. Food. Tomorrow night? I'll cook for you."

Andrea's eyebrows rose at that. "You cook?"

Steve chuckled. "Yes, I cook," he replied. "So, what do you say?"

Andrea's smile widened. "I say yes."

"Great!" Steve exclaimed, making Andrea laugh. "I mean, uh, good. It's a date."

To Steve's relief, Andrea echoed his words. "It's a date."

"Hey kiddo," Clint called from the bench he was still standing next to, "do you wanna get some lunch?"

"Stop calling me that, Clint," Andrea grit out as she backed away from Steve and made her way over to her bag.

Clint just grinned at her.

"I'll see you guys later," Steve said before turning to make his way out of the gym.

"Bye, Steve," he heard Andrea call. He couldn't resist turning to look over his shoulder to throw Andrea one last smile.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow night.

 _Clint_ did _say that I should spend more time with the team,_ Andrea thought with some amusement as she ate lunch later that afternoon with Clint, Natasha, Thor and Bruce.

Thor had been lured by the mouth-watering scent of Clint's cheeseburgers, while Bruce had to be coaxed out of his lab by Natasha. Andrea found herself genuinely enjoying the group's company as she ate her meal.

"Did you really play dress up with her, Clint?" Bruce asked, failing to hide his amusement at the story Andrea had just told about her uncle.

To his credit, Clint didn't look or sound the least bit ashamed as he replied, "Of course I did," around a mouthful of food.

Andrea smiled at the memory. Clint had always been willing to play dress up or tea party or dolls. If it made Andrea smile, he would have done it. _But that was before my mutation,_ Andrea thought with a frown. Her powers had changed everything, and not for the better.

Not wanting to bring down the jovial mood at the table, Andrea quickly excused herself and made her way around the island into the kitchen. Andrea busied herself with cleaning up dishes and putting away the leftovers as the conversation at the table continued.

She didn't have to be a spy, however, to notice Bruce watching her as she loaded the dishwasher. He seemed to be considering something before he picked up his plate and made his way over to her.

Andrea reached a hand out for his plate as he approached her at the sink. If he was going to engage her in conversation, it would be easier for her to keep her hands busy.

Sure enough, as she loaded his plate into the dishwasher, he spoke quietly. "So, I do a lot of meditating," he stated.

Andrea turned to face the scientist. "What?" she asked, confused.

Bruce chuckled. "You and I don't know each other very well. But I can tell when a person is more tense than they need to be. And when they're maybe trying to control something inside of themselves."

A quick glance at the table showed that the other occupants weren't paying them any attention.

"Bruce-" Andrea began, panicking.

"I do a lot of meditating," he repeated, "it helps me keep calm and also helps me feel… in control."

"I don't-"

"You're welcome to use my meditation space, Andrea," Bruce interrupted softly.

Not expecting the offer, Andrea was left speechless.

"JARVIS will tell you where it is and let you in if you ever need it," he added with a smile.

As he turned to walk back to their friends, Andrea finally found her voice.

"Hey Bruce?" she called softly.

Bruce turned around and lifted a questioning eyebrow.

With a smile, Andrea said, "My friends call me Andy."

That brought a smile to Bruce's face. With a nod, he turned on his heel and walked back to the table.

Andrea took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. _Could he suspect?_ She wondered. _If he does, he doesn't seem to care_ , her brain supplied.

Deciding that she was being paranoid and that Bruce was just being nice, Andrea dried her hands and returned to the table.

"Oh, you're on," Clint was saying to Thor as Andrea reclaimed her seat next to Clint.

Thor gave a triumphant _whoop!_ before getting up from the table and hopping over the back of the couch to turn on the television.

Andrea turned to Clint, who had a huge grin on his face. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I have challenged Clinton to a game of the Mario Kart!" Thor called across the room.

Andrea laughed. "Really?" she asked the room's occupants.

Natasha merely smiled as she nodded her head.

"And with that," Bruce declared, "I'm going to go back to my lab. You guys have fun."

As he passed by her chair, Bruce murmured, "Think about what I said, Andy," making her tense.

Clint looked at her curiously but she shook her head. She'd tell him later. In the meantime, there was Mario Kart to be played.

Andrea couldn't help but smile as she got ready for bed late that night. She couldn't remember the last time she'd just… hung out with people. _Maybe never_ , she thought, changing into her pajamas.

She, Clint, Thor and Natasha had whiled away the afternoon battling it out on the tracks of Mario Kart. They were forced to call it quits at dinnertime with no clear victor determined.

Natasha had ordered pizza and the four of them ate in the living room while they watched Family Feud reruns.

Andrea was about to go back to her room to read when Tony had shown up and announced a Family Movie Night. Clint's warning glare told her that she _would_ be staying - a hardship that was considerably lessened when Steve stepped off of the elevator. While they didn't sit together or even really speak, it was nice to have him there.

Now, almost five hours later, Andrea was finally crawling into bed. She was almost asleep when her phone alerted her to an incoming text.

 **Steve:** Goodnight, Andy

Andrea grinned as she wrote back.

 **Andrea:** Sweet dreams, Steve.

With that, Andrea set her phone aside and let her eyes slide closed, hoping for sweet dreams of her own.

Andrea woke abruptly to the sound of screaming. Flailing with her blankets, she tried to see in the dim light where the screams were coming from. It took her precious seconds to realize that it was coming from herself. A quick glance at the clock told her it was just past three in the morning.

Andrea lifted her hands to scrub at her face and was surprised when they came away wet. She'd been crying in her sleep.

"Damn it," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around herself and began a soothing rocking motion from her childhood. "God damn it."

At first Andrea was surprised that Clint hadn't broken down her door at the sounds of her screams, until she remembered him saying something about the rooms being soundproofed. She didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing right now.

Andrea usually craved solitude and a punching bag after a nightmare but this one… this one had been bad.

So, against her better judgement she called out for help.

"JARVIS?" she called weakly, her throat hurt from the screaming she'd done. _I wonder how long I was at it_ , she wondered.

"Yes, Agent Barton?" he asked kindly.

"Is Clint awake?" she asked.

"Unfortunately not, Agent Barton," he replied with evident regret. "The other Agent Barton has been asleep for 1 hours and 27 minutes. Shall I wake him for you?"

"No!" Andrea croaked out. She didn't want to wake her uncle up just because she'd had a nightmare. That would be silly. Still, Andrea scrunched her eyes closed and tried to stave off the rising panic. _I don't want to be alone,_ she thought desperately.

As if reading her thoughts, JARVIS announced, "If I may, Agent Barton, Captain Rogers is on the communal floor."

Andrea's eyes flew open. "What?" she asked.

"Captain Rogers is currently on the communal floor," the AI repeated.

Andrea's mind raced. Should she go up there? _Would he mind?_ she wondered.

"Is he… is he alone?" she asked tentatively.

"Indeed," JARVIS answered simply.

Taking a deep breath, Andrea made up her mind. She got out of bed and grabbed her thickest pair of socks out of her top drawer. Putting them on, she crept out of the apartment and towards the elevator.

 _Here goes nothing,_ she thought as the doors closed behind her.

Steve was hoping that a change of scenery would improve his mood.

It hadn't been a good day. After leaving Andrea in the gym, he'd had a day full of training and mind numbing meetings. Then there had been Family Movie Night. He was pleased to see that Clint and Natasha had convinced Andrea to participate, but was disappointed that they didn't get a chance to talk the whole night.

Afterwards, he'd gone back to his apartment with the intention of turning in for the night but sleep proved elusive. His mind was awash with thoughts of Andrea, Bucky's mistrust of her, his own questions about her past, and nerves about their date tomorrow night.

 _More like tonight,_ Steve thought wryly, looking at the time.

After making himself a hot chocolate, he took it and his book to the couch to settle in for a little bit. He had just sat down when the elevator dinged open.

Many of the Avengers kept odd hours so it wasn't unusual that someone else would be awake in the middle of the night. Still, Steve was surprised to find Andrea stepping nervously off the elevator when he glanced over.

"Andy?" Steve asked, concerned, as he stood up.

Her eyes snapped to him.

"Hey, Steve," she replied, voice hoarse.

Steve could immediately tell that something was wrong. Voice aside, there was something about the way she moved as she made her way towards him. _Like a wounded animal,_ he thought.

As she got closer, Steve got a better look at her face - she'd been crying.

"What happened?" he asked softly when she reached him. She was so close and so clearly upset that, when she didn't immediately answer, he couldn't resist extending his hand to rub her arm. He wasn't expecting her to step into the touch as his hand made contact. Suddenly, his arms were full of Andrea. He didn't hesitate to bring his arms around her as she stepped into him.

"Nightmare?" he asked as his hand came up to stroke her hair.

She could only nod into his chest.

Casting about for something to help the woman in his arms, Steve thought back to their last post-nightmare interaction.

"Would you like some ice cream?" he suggested.

She shook her head 'no.'

"Okay," he replied. "How about a movie?" he asked.

"No thank you," she mumbled. _Well, at least she's speaking,_ he thought.

Looking around the room for ideas, his eyes fell on his book. "Do you want to read the next Harry Potter book?" he asked, knowing that they were both due to start _The Chamber of Secrets_.

When she shook her head in the negative again, he surprised them both by suggesting, "What if I read it to you?"

To his further shock, Andrea didn't immediately say no to the suggestion. Instead, she pulled back with an indecipherable look on her face. "Read to me?" she repeated.

Steve shrugged. "I mean… yeah," he replied, looking down at her. "My, uh, my mom used to read to me when I was scared so I just thought-"

"That sounds nice, Steve," Andrea replied with a small smile. _Progress,_ he thought.

Steve glanced towards the couch, then back at Andrea with a raised eyebrow. Understanding, she pulled away from Steve completely to sit down on the couch.

"You might be more comfortable if you laid down," Steve suggested as he grabbed the book and settled himself back into the couch cushions.

Andrea considered his words before nodding her agreement. She grabbed a pillow and set it on the couch next to Steve's thigh before settling down with a soft sigh.

Steve smiled at Andrea's desire to sit so close to him. He knew it had to be hard for a woman as strong as her to seek comfort in this way. As she settled into her pillow, the top of her head brushing Steve's leg, he couldn't help but place his left hand on her head, running his fingers through her hair. Steve guessed she approved of the gesture as she smiled and allowed her eyes to fall closed.

Taking that as his cue to start reading, Steve cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the book. He began, "Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive…"

Andrea had never let herself be this vulnerable with anyone besides Clint and Natasha. And yet here she was, lying on the couch while Steve read her a story and ran his fingers through her hair. She felt… _safe_. Safe wasn't something she was used to feeling after her nightmares. And as she lie there listening to Harry and Ron's embattled journey to Hogwarts, she couldn't help but be reminded of Clint's words to her.

" _If you don't let him in. If you don't let him see the real Andrea. The Andrea that Nat and I see, then yeah, I think you'll hurt him."_

Maybe she could let Steve in… just a little.

As Harry and Ron escaped the clutches of the Whomping Willow, Steve paused in his reading to take a sip of his hot chocolate. Andrea took the opportunity to break her silence.

"The boarding school I went to… it wasn't a good place," she murmured quietly, so quietly that Steve might not have heard her were it not for his super soldier hearing. As it was, her words made him freeze. After a moment's pause he placed his mug down and resumed his ministrations with her hair.

"No?" he asked calmly. She knew he wouldn't push her.

"My nightmares are about a lot of things," she went on, staring straight ahead while she focused on the feeling of Steve's fingers in her hair. "Sometimes they're about what happened to me there, sometimes they're about what would've happened if I hadn't left, and other times, like tonight, they're about them finding me, taking me away again and putting me back in-" she cut herself off. She couldn't tell him about that, not yet. "And I can't stop them," she choked out instead, dangerously close to tears.

She could practically feel Steve considering his words. She knew deep down that he wouldn't judge her, wouldn't push her away for sharing what she had. But she'd never done this before - the nerves were still there.

"I won't pretend to know very much about your relationship with Clint and Natasha," Steve started. Andrea was surprised, she hadn't been expecting him to say that. "But even I can tell you with absolute certainty that they'd never let anything happen to you, that Clint would burn the world down to get you back if someone took you away." Andrea felt tears forming again. She refused to let them fall.

"I can also tell you, again, with absolute certainty, that you're safe with me," he said this almost shyly. Andrea rolled over onto her back so that she could see Steve's face. As he looked down at her, he went on. "Even if this thing between us were to end now, you're Clint's family and part of this team. The Avengers… _I_ would protect you, too."

Andrea could only nod her head in understanding. She couldn't find the words.

"There's a lot I don't know about you, Andrea Barton," Steve murmured, moving some of the hair off of her forehead. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Andrea gave a weak smile in response. "Be patient with me, Steve," she replied softly.

Steve nodded in response. He glanced at the clock and then down at Andrea again. "I think it's time I walked you back. We both need to get some sleep."

Andrea smiled at that. "Big day tomorrow," she teased lightly.

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. I've got to wine and dine a lady friend," he joked back with a wink.

In an effort to hide the blush she felt forming, Andrea chose that moment to sit up. As they both stood, Andrea turned to Steve.

"You don't need to walk me back, Steve," she said.

"I know I don't. But I want to," he admitted.

With that, he took Andrea's hand and led her towards the elevator. Andrea followed with a smile on her lips. She loved the way her hand felt in his.

The pair were quiet as they rode the elevator down, both just enjoying each other's company. As the elevator doors opened on Clint's floor, however, Steve broke the silence.

"Hey, Andy?" he asked as they walked slowly down the hallway.

"Yeah?" she asked, glancing at him.

"When you came upstairs after your nightmare… When I was up there… Uh, were you looking specifically for me? Or were you just getting out of the apartment?" he asked shyly.

Andrea blushed furiously and averted her gaze to the floor. They had reached the door and now stood facing each other. Andrea kept her eyes down as she answered, "JARVIS told me where you were," she admitted. "I, uh, didn't want to wake Clint up - he'd just gone to sleep and I just…. I came looking for you."

Steve gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "I'm glad you did," he murmured.

Steve kept his eyes on Andrea's as he slowly leaned in. Her eyes went wide as she realized what was happening. _He's going to kiss me!_ she thought frantically. Andrea's eyes flicked down to Steve's lips.

Instead of connecting with her own, however, Steve's lips detoured. He gently kissed her forehead before pulling back and smiling shyly at her.

"Sweet dreams, Andrea," he whispered, before stepping back.

Andrea felt like she was in a daze. If this is how a forehead kiss makes her feel… "Goodnight, Steve," she replied absently, raising her hand to grab the door handle.

Steve started walking down the hall towards the elevator when he suddenly turned around and, walking backwards, said, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Andrea smiled as she pushed on the door. "Count on it," she replied.

Steve chuckled at her choice of words before turning and striding towards the elevator. Andrea waited until the doors closed behind him before making her way into the apartment and into her bedroom.

This time, when she closed her eyes and sleep claimed her, there were no nightmares.


	11. Chapter 11

Andrea was out of bed with a knife in her hand a heartbeat after she sensed the presence in her bedroom the next morning. She let her arm fall from its defensive position in front of her the moment she registered the red hair and amused smile.

"Nat," Andrea breathed, relief flooding through her.

"Good morning to you, too," her friend responded, flopping gracefully onto Andrea's bed.

A glance at the clock told Andrea it was just past eight in the morning. "What do you want, Nat?" she asked irritably, setting her knife on the nightstand and crawling back into bed. She really wasn't a morning person.

"Oh, don't be a baby," Nat admonished as Andrea burrowed back under the covers. "It's time to get up."

"Mmph," Andrea grumbled. "Why?"

"Because…" Nat responded, drawing the word out, "you have a big day today."

Andrea went still. _Dinner with Steve._

"Yes, dinner with Steve," Natasha remarked, as if reading Andrea's thoughts. "Now, _get up_ ," she added, getting off the bed and ripping away Andrea's covers. If anyone else had tried this, Andrea would be throwing knives right about now.

"It's a _dinner_ date, Nat!" Andrea complained, grasping for the covers. Natasha merely pulled them farther out of her reach. "Dinner is later!" Andrea knew she was whining, but she _really_ wasn't a morning person.

"Dinner might be later, but shopping is now," Natasha responded with an unsettling gleam in her eye.

Andrea pinned the redhead with a glare. "Shopping?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yes. Shopping," the redhead replied. "You need something to wear on your date."

Andrea sighed heavily before heaving herself up into a seated position. "I have clothes, you know," she pointed out as she leaned against the headboard.

"Yes," Natasha replied, moving to the dresser and pulling out some of said clothes and throwing them on the bed. "But I know you only brought the one bag. And I _know_ it didn't contain any date clothes."

Andrea scowled at her friend. "Natasha, I don't need-"

"Yes, you do," Natasha interrupted in a tone that told Andrea there would be no arguing with her. "Now get up and get dressed."

Before Andrea could respond, Natasha was strolling out of the room. "Meet us on the communal floor in thirty minutes," she called behind her. With a final click of the door closing, she was gone as suddenly as she'd come.

Andrea leaned back and stared at the ceiling. The whole encounter had been such a whirlwind that she needed to straighten her thoughts out. _I have a date tonight_ , she thought with a small, apprehensive smile. She could honestly say that this would be her first one. _That's why Nat is trying to help,_ she realized. Natasha was fully aware of her nonexistent dating history. It should come as no surprise that she'd jump in to help Andrea navigate this new terrain. _Even if it involves shopping…_ she thought with a frown. Shopping was not Andrea's favorite activity.

 _Best to get it over with_ , she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and grabbing the clothes that Natasha had laid out.

Andrea stepped onto the elevator exactly thirty minutes later dressed in dark jeans and a comfortable grey t-shirt. Her blonde hair hung in loose waves down her back.

She tried not to fidget as the car rose to the communal floor. Even with her hatred of shopping, Andrea was happy Natasha was taking her out this morning. Besides having no idea what to wear tonight, she also had no idea how to _act._ She didn't know how to _date_.

Despite telling Steve that they were just hanging out and seeing where things went, tonight felt like _more_. She hoped her friend would have some insights. Cheered by that thought, Andrea stepped off the elevator with a smile ready to greet her friend.

The smile vanished, however, when she saw who was waiting with Natasha. Andrea recognized her instantly from the personnel files she'd studied - Wanda Maximoff.

Andrea froze a few steps outside the elevator, taking in the two women seated at the table. They'd been chatting before Andrea arrived if the half empty coffee mugs in front of them were any indication. But with Andrea's arrival they were now silent and turned towards her.

To her credit, Natasha looked instantly apologetic. _With good reason_ , Andrea thought bitterly. Wanda was capable of destroying Andrea's carefully built world with a mere thought and Natasha hadn't even warned her she was in the building.

"You think like your uncle, Andrea," Wanda spoke, snapping Andrea's attention to her. "Loudly, that is," she added with a smile.

 _I have to get out of here,_ Andrea thought frantically, already stepping back towards the elevator.

"You can leave if you wish," Wanda continued, obviously reading her intent. "But I can assure you that you have _nothing_ to fear from me."

Andrea was sure that the doubt she felt was showing plainly on her face. Wanda's eyes went to Natasha as if looking for backup.

"It's okay, Andy-" Natasha started.

Andrea's disbelieving snort cut her off.

 _She probably already knows about me,_ Andrea realized, terror coating her body. Once more, her emotions must have shown because Wanda's face softened as she stood from her chair, moving as if to approach Andrea. But Andrea shot her a warning look, halting her steps.

"Andrea, I can't help the thoughts I hear sometimes," she admitted. "But I _can_ help what I repeat."

"Meaning?" Andrea asked hoarsely, her first words since stepping off the elevator.

"I mean," she responded softly, almost inaudibly, "that any secrets you may have would be safe with me."

Andrea considered her. "Why should I believe you?" Andrea finally asked.

"I swear it on my brother's life," she replied solemnly. Andrea's eyebrows shot up. She knew from her research how close the Maximoff twins were.

But she needed more than that. She looked past Wanda to where Natasha was still seated, quietly watching the exchange.

"Nat?" she asked.

"I trust her with this, Andy," Nat responded carefully. _She means with_ me, Andrea realized. Natasha continued, " _Clint_ trusts her."

Andrea took a deep breath and considered. Natasha and Clint had both told her that she would be safe here. They never would have said that if Wanda posed any sort of threat to her secret and, more importantly, to her safety.

Before she could act on her decision, however, a blur of movement caught her eye. Whipping her head to the left, she was both amazed and apprehensive to find Pietro Maximoff leaning against the back of the couch, in his pajamas, carefully sipping a cup of coffee as he took in the scene before him.

"What have I missed?" he asked casually - too casually.

Andrea took another deep breath before she started walking closer to Wanda. Noting how Pietro tensed almost imperceptibly, Andrea plastered on a smile and extended a hand to the young woman.

"I was just getting to know your sister," she answered politely.

When Wanda took her outstretched hand, Andrea said with as much warmth as she could muster given her nerves, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Wanda."

Wanda absolutely grinned at that and shook her hand vigorously. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Andrea. It seems Natasha and Clint cannot stop talking about you," she responded kindly, dropping Andrea's hand.

Andrea blushed. "Yeah, well, family likes to embarrass you like that, I guess," she replied.

Wanda rolled her eyes pointedly towards her brother, who now seemed much more relaxed, "It is so true," she said.

"Would you like some coffee?" Wanda offered, ushering Andrea into the kitchen where Natasha still waited.

"I'd love some," Andrea replied with a smile, determined to be kind.

Before Wanda could reach the coffee machine however, Pietro appeared from nowhere, beating her to it. As he poured Andrea a cup of coffee, she and Wanda took their seats at the counter.

"He likes to show off for new people," Wanda murmured.

Andrea giggled as Pietro approached with her coffee. Taking it carefully, Andrea thanked him and took a generous sip. Pietro gave a snort at her contented sigh.

"You are a fan of coffee?" he asked, a playful smile on his face.

Before Andrea could respond, the elevator doors opened to reveal one of the most glamorous women that Andrea had ever seen. As Pepper Potts got off the elevator and walked towards them Andrea found herself tugging nervously on her shirt. She felt like a country bumpkin compared to this woman.

"Oh good, you're all acquainted," Pepper said as she approached the kitchen.

Wanda hopped off of her stool and embraced Pepper as she reached them. "Pepper, it is so good to see you," she said excitedly. Much to Andrea's embarrassment, Wanda then turned toward her and announced, "Pepper, meet Andrea Barton - we're becoming fast friends," she added with a wink towards Andrea.

Pepper offered her a warm, welcoming smile and a hand to shake. "Andrea, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope you're finding everything in the Tower to your liking?" she asked politely.

"Oh… uh… Yes, of course I am, Ms. Potts. It's a huge step up from SHIELD barracks, I can tell you" she added, still blushing furiously.

Pepper smiled in response. "Please call me Pepper, Andrea," she said kindly.

Pleasantries out of the way, Pepper turned to the rest of the ladies and announced, "Is everyone ready to go? The car is waiting for us downstairs."

"The car?" Andrea asked, feeling stupid.

"For our shopping trip, of course," Pepper responded.

"We're _all_ going?" Andrea asked, suddenly apprehensive.

Shopping was scary enough when it was just going to be her and Natasha. But with Pepper and Wanda along, she was going to feel like a fool!

 _How am I going to get any dating advice with these veritable strangers around?!_ she thought frantically.

Natasha's face was suddenly in front of hers. "Andy?" she asked softly, getting the blonde's attention.

"Nat, I… " A quick glance past her showed that everyone else was busying themselves with their coffee.

"It's okay, Andrea," her friend murmured, too softly for the others to hear. "If you don't want them to come, they'll understand."

"It's just that…"

"I know," her friend replied. "I just thought it'd be more fun if there were more of us. I thought it'd take the pressure off of you."

Andrea felt herself relenting at her friend's words.

"And," she added, looking Andrea in the eye, "it's time you made some friends besides just me and Clint."

"I have friends," Andrea hissed, desperately hoping that the others couldn't hear this conversation.

"Name one," Natasha insisted, unimpressed.

"I made friends with Steve," Andrea pointed out triumphantly.

"Friends you want to see naked don't count," Natasha shot back.

Andrea knew all pretenses at subterfuge were destroyed when Pepper choked on her coffee at Natasha's comment.

Staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all of life's questions, Andrea tried to will the blush away.

"You know I'm right, Barton," Natasha continued smugly.

Andrea brought her gaze down and let it drift past Natasha. What she found were three people who seemed genuine, seemed safe and, most importantly, seemed like they wanted to help - wanted to be her friend.

Andrea gave Natasha a nod, signalling her agreement.

Smiling, Natasha turned back towards Wanda and Pepper declaring, "We're ready when you are."

"Fantastic!" Pepper replied, turning to follow Wanda who had bounded excitedly for the elevator at Natasha's words.

"Can I come?" Pietro asked with a grin before the ladies could board the elevator.

"No, you cannot come," Wanda replied for them, pinning her twin with an unimpressed look.

"Oh, come on," he teased, "I promise I won't slow you down," he added with a wink towards Andrea.

"Sorry, Pietro," Pepper replied, trailing Andrea and Nat to the elevator doors, "Ladies only."

Pietro pouted but didn't push the issue as the women boarded the car. "Have fun, _ladies,_ " he called as the doors closed.

Wanda turned to Andrea as the car descended. "I hope my brother did not make you uncomfortable, Andrea," she murmured, though Andrea was sure the others could hear in the small space.

"How so?" Andrea asked, confused. He'd been perfectly nice to her after the initial tension had eased.

Now it was Wanda who looked uncomfortable. "He can be… flirtatious," she admitted.

Andrea chuckled and nudged Wanda's shoulder with her own. "Don't worry," Andrea assured her, "I can tell it's harmless."

Wanda's smile was much more at ease with Andrea's words.

"Besides," Natasha said from her spot against the wall, a mischievous look on her face, "Andrea only has eyes for -"

"Natasha!" Andrea hissed, cutting off her friend.

Wanda giggled, obviously already aware of who Nat was referring to.

Andrea cast a nervous glance at Pepper wondering what, if anything, the CEO knew.

"Incidentally," Pepper chimed in, watching the numbers on the display rapidly descend, "Steve called me last night wondering what he should cook for dinner tonight. It took some wheedling but he finally admitted that he has a date he's eager to impress. Though, he wouldn't say with whom," she finished, casting a knowing look towards Andrea.

Andrea was saved from making any response by their arrival at the garage level. As the doors opened, Andrea spied a driver waiting to usher them into a nondescript black SUV.

Andrea was stopped from getting into the car by Pepper's gentle hand on her elbow. As Natasha and Wanda climbed in, Pepper turned to Andrea and murmured, "Andrea, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Steve last night. It's none of my business who you date and I'm not a gossip. If you want to keep this quiet, I'll accept that and support you. My lips are sealed."

Andrea knew her smile showed how relieved she was. "Thank you, Pepper," she replied, "It's not that I'm ashamed or anything - it's just so new, this thing with Steve. I don't want the attention it would bring."

Pepper's smile was warm as she replied, "Steve said the same thing." With that, she turned and headed for the waiting SUV.

As Pepper climbed into the car, Andrea found herself wondering if Natasha was right about this whole 'having friends' thing. Smiling at the thought, Andrea steeled herself for a morning of shopping and followed Pepper into the SUV.

Andrea was due to arrive at his apartment any minute and Steve still hadn't finished the food. _She probably won't mind,_ he thought somewhat frantically as hurried around the kitchen grabbing the supplies he'd need for dinner. Steve hated to admit that he was nervous.

It wasn't as though he was a total dating novice - he'd been on plenty of dates. But most women wanted to go out with and be seen with Captain America. Andrea didn't seem to care one bit about his title - she saw _Steve_. Steve hadn't felt a connection like this in a _really_ long time - not since Peggy.

Shaking his head to ward off any maudlin thoughts, Steve focused on the task at hand. Rather than have JARVIS order what he'd needed for tonight's dinner, Steve had done all of the grocery shopping and cooking himself. He wanted tonight to go well - to be special. For Steve, that meant picking out ingredients and making the food without help. Well, without help outside of Pepper, that is.

Steve hadn't had any clue what to cook tonight. He didn't have much skill in the kitchen but he was still determined to make something nice - cue Pepper Potts.

He'd been a nervous wreck when he'd call his friend the night before for advice.

"You're overthinking this, Steve," she'd said kindly. "Keep it simple and romantic - your steak and potatoes with some wine and a few candles on the table will be perfect."

"You don't think that's _too_ simple?" he'd asked, thinking Pepper was going to suggest something a lot fancier than steak.

"Not at all," she'd responded. "If you recall, I've had your steak before. Whoever this woman is, she'll love it."

Steve had breathed a sigh of relief. Steak he could do. "Thank you, Pepper. I really owe you."

"You could repay me by telling me who the lucky girl is," she'd suggested slyly.

Steve had hesitated. "I would, Pepper, believe me. But this is all so new and I'm not sure we're ready to 'go public' yet. I'd like to keep this to myself for a little while."

"Of course, Steve. Whatever you want," she'd replied, the smile evident in her voice. "But I demand to know how the date goes."

Steve had laughed. "You've got it, Pep."

Steve was brought back to the present by a knock on the door.

"Shit," he cursed. He was so wrapped up in thoughts, he hadn't noticed the minutes ticking by. He quickly jogged around the kitchen counter to light the candles on the table. As he lit the last candle, another tentative knock sounded.

"Be right there," he called as he moved towards the front door. He hesitated as he reached the door. _Calm down,_ he thought to himself as he took the necessary deep breaths before smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his button down. After one last hair check in the mirror next to the door, he finally opened it.

All his nerves flew out the window when he found Andrea fidgeting nervously on the other side.

Agent Andrea Barton was used to dressing up. She'd procured state secrets and classified intel from countless marks thanks to a low cut cocktail dress and a pair of Jimmy Choos. She'd once killed a third world dictator with a dinner fork while wearing an Oscar de la Renta ball gown. No, Agent Barton was no stranger to dressing up. She'd just never done it as Andrea Barton. She'd been Lizbet Hemington or Gemma Parker or any of the other aliases that she'd gone by in her career with SHIELD.

So, as she rode the elevator down to Steve's floor, Andrea straightened her dress for what felt like the hundredth time. At Natasha, Pepper and Wanda's suggestion, she'd worn a white dress with so many tiny red flowers on it that it almost looked pink along with a pair of flats. _Was it too much?!_ she wondered frantically as the elevator doors opened. _Too late now_.

Walking down the hallway, Andrea struggled to remember the advice that Natasha had given her as her friend had helped her get ready just an hour before.

"He wouldn't have asked you out if he didn't already like you," she'd pointed out as she took a curling iron to Andrea's hair. "You have nothing to worry about."

"But what if I say the wrong thing?" she'd worried, desperate for advice that was actually helpful.

"You won't."

Andrea had sighed. "Nat-"

"Andrea," Natasha had interrupted gently, coming around so that she was looking Andrea in the eye and taking her hands. "Steve likes you," she went on, "I can honestly say I've never seen him act this way with anyone. Just be yourself."

Andrea had taken a deep breath and nodded in response. Squeezing her hands before letting go, Natasha had gone back to working on Andrea's hair.

"Besides," she'd added after a quiet moment, "if it goes badly, you could always kill him with the closest eating utensil." Andrea was grateful for the laughter.

Smiling at the memory, Andrea raised her hand and knocked on the door. When no answer came, Andrea knocked a second time. She calmed considerably when she heard Steve's voice call through the door, "Be right there!"

 _Here we go_ , she thought nervously, trying desperately not to fidget. All of her nerves dissolved, however, once Steve opened the door.

He smiled and her and she couldn't help but grin back as she took in his appearance - dark jeans and a blue button down. She blushed when her eyes met his and realized she'd been caught staring - just as he'd been staring at her.

It was Steve who finally broke their silent appraisal of each other.

"Hi," he said.

"Hey," Andrea replied. _Wow, we're a couple of worsdsmiths._

"Uh, come on in," Steve said, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter. "I was just about to put the steaks on."

Andrea stepped into the apartment and looked around. It was the same layout as Clint's quarters, which didn't surprise her. What _did_ surprise her was the homey feel to the space. The furniture was a bit old fashioned but seemed durable and well-made. Her eyes drifted from the hand-knit afghan on the couch to the original artwork on the walls.

Andrea's eyes lingered on the kitchen table that held two place settings with lit candles casting a romantic glow around the room. Her eyes finally found Steve.

He'd waited, patient and quiet, as she'd observed the space. When her eyes met his, his eyebrows rose in silent question.

Smiling, Andrea answered with a soft, "It's lovely, Steve."

Steve chuckled. "Lovely?" he asked.

"It suits you," she responded.

"Thanks," he replied, his cheeks slightly tinted.

 _He's so cute when he blushes_ , she thought as he shifted his feet and pointed towards the kitchen. "I should finish the food," he said, finally starting to move away from the door.

Still smiling, Andrea followed him. "You said something about steaks?" she prompted, taking a seat at the counter as Steve moved towards the refrigerator.

"I hope that's okay…" Steve answered nervously as he retrieved two huge marinating steaks.

"I love steak," Andrea replied, which seemed to put Steve at ease.

"Good," he replied.

"Can I help with anything?" Andrea asked as Steve added the steaks to the grill-top stove.

"There's a salad in the fridge if you want to grab that?" he suggested.

Glad for something to do, Andrea hopped off the stool and moved to the refrigerator. As she pulled the salad out, Steve asked, "How do you like your steak cooked?"

"Medium rare is good," Andrea replied as she brought the salad over to the table.

"I set some wine out on the table if you'd like some," Steve called, turning his attention back to the steaks.

Andrea looked at the bottle and considered. She usually didn't drink alcohol. It lowered inhibitions and made you vulnerable. _But it's Steve,_ she thought with a smile. Decision made, she poured two glasses of wine and strode back into the kitchen. Setting Steve's glass within reach, she leaned back against the counter to watch him work.

"Thanks," Steve said, picking up his wine and taking a sip.

The pair regarded each other a moment as they quietly sipped their wine. It was Andrea who finally broke the silence. "Smells good," she murmured, nodding towards the steak.

Steve smiled. "It's one of my specialties," he replied. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

As if in response, Andrea's stomach gave an audible grumble.

Steve laughed as Andrea blushed. "Hungry?" Steve asked.

"Very," Andrea responded, willing her blush away. "I didn't get a chance to eat much today."

"Busy day?" Steve asked.

"Natasha insisted on taking me shopping for tonight. Pepper and Wanda joined us. It was quite the affair."

"Did you get that dress?" Steve asked, indicating Andrea's outfit.

"Um… yeah," Andrea responded.

Steve kept his eyes focused on the steak as he replied, "You look beautiful."

Andrea felt her face heat. "Thanks, Steve," she finally murmured.

Steve glanced up at her. "You're welcome, Andy," he answered softly.

Andrea couldn't decipher the soft look in his eyes. Casting about for something to say, she jumped at the first thought that came to her.

"Um… how's the food?" she asked.

Steve gave her a knowing look before replying, "Done," he announced. "Go ahead and sit. I'll be right there."

Andrea nodded and went to take a seat at the table. Leaving the spot at the head for Steve, she took the seat to his left. A few moments later, Steve joined her carrying a tray with the steaks as well as baked potatoes. Steve served the food then took his seat, smiling shyly.

"It looks delicious," Andy assured him. Steve's smile broadened.

"Dig in," he urged, reaching for the salad. Ever the gentleman, he gave Andrea a helping before serving himself.

"So how was it being with Wanda and Pepper?" Steve asked as they began eating.

Andrea considered. "Surprisingly okay," she responded. "I was hesitant at first but Nat insisted that I need to make friends here."

"Well, you've got me," Steve pointed out smoothly.

"I tried that," Andrea responded with a rueful smile. "Apparently you don't count."

To Andrea's amusement, Steve looked genuinely confused at that. "Why not?" he asked, frowning.

Andrea couldn't contain her chuckle. "Because we're… you know…"

Understanding dawned on Steve's face. "Because we're what?" he asked, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes.

Andrea blushed furiously but refused to let Steve win. She waited for Steve to take a sip of his wine before leaning forward and murmuring, "According to her, friends you want to see naked don't count."

Andrea couldn't stop the burst of laughter when Steve choked on his wine.

 _Thunk_

 _Thunk_

 _Thunk_

"For a master sniper, you're pretty bad at darts," Bucky drawled from his seat at the barstool, grinning at Clint's scowl.

Clint stalked to the dartboard and yanked his darts out. "Let's see you do better," he groused as he made his way over to Bucky's seat at the nearest table.

Shrugging, Bucky took a drink of his beer before hopping off his stool and taking the offered darts from the blonde's hand.

In a matter of seconds he had determined the weight and balance of the darts and the precise angle of the target. He let the darts fly.

 _Thunk_

 _Thunk_

 _Thunk_

The sound of Clint's laughter was like a balm to his wounded pride. He'd missed the bullseye.

"Not so smug are you now, Buckaroo?" Clint practically crooned.

Clint was the only person in the world who'd ever called him 'Buckaroo' and not walked away bloody.

"Can it, Barton," Bucky grumbled as he returned to their table. There was no malice in his words, though. Afterall, Bucky had hit precisely what he'd aimed for.

"How about we celebrate our mutual ineptitude with another round?" Clint suggested.

Bucky smiled. "You're not inept, Clint," he responded, clapping the blonde gently on the shoulder. "You're just drunk."

Clint chuckled and didn't complain when Bucky's hand lingered a moment longer on his shoulder.

"Well, you're not wrong," Clint agreed. Did Bucky imagine Clint's look of disappointment when he finally removed his hand?

The pair had spent the majority of the afternoon together - ever since Bucky had dragged Clint out of his apartment, announcing he needed a break from Steve's nervous pacing.

Steve, on a date with a potential threat. Just thinking about it made his teeth clench.

"Don't think about it," Clint's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Bucky's eyes clicked to Clint.

"About what?" Bucky hedged.

Clint rolled his eyes. "About Steve and Andrea."

"I'm not -"

"Yes you are," Clint interrupted gently.

"Clint-"

"Are you jealous?" Clint asked quietly, not quite meeting Bucky's eyes.

"Jealous?!" Bucky was genuinely blindsided by Clint's question. _How much have we had to drink?_ "Clint, I'm not-"

"You could tell me if you had a thing for Andrea."

"I don't -"

"Or Steve."

That brought Bucky up short. _Clint thinks I'm jealous… of Andrea?_

Bucky laid his hand on Clint's arm to get his attention.

"Clint, I don't have a thing for Andrea. Or Steve," he began.

"Because he's a guy?" Clint asked his beer, sounding a little too casual for Bucky's liking.

Still, Bucky smiled at the question. "No, not because he's a guy, you idiot. Because he's Steve."

Clint finally glanced over at that. "Oh, so you're-"

"Clint do you really want to have this conversation when we're both drunk at a bar?" Bucky asked gently.

Clint let out a breath and took a long pull of his beer. "No, I guess not," he finally responded.

Bucky gave Clint's arm a squeeze before finally pulling away. "It's late," he said, standing up from his seat. "We should head back."

Clint nodded his agreement as he got up from his seat and followed Bucky out of the bar.

Bucky hailed a cab while Clint tried and failed not to lean too heavily on his friend.

But Bucky wasn't complaining. And he certainly wasn't complaining as the cab set off toward Avengers Tower and Clint laid his head on Bucky's shoulder as his eyes drifted closed.

 _No,_ Bucky thought, laying his head on top of Clint's, _he wasn't complaining one bit._

Andrea was having a great time. The rest of the meal was filled with good conversation, laughs and many shared smiles. It felt so comfortable to just sit and talk with Steve. They still stayed away from the heavy topics but it was fun to get to know him better and open herself up to him a little more.

"So you've never been on a rollercoaster?" Steve asked as they cleared their dishes from the table, long after they'd finished their meals.

Andrea laughed as she followed Steve into the kitchen. "I get enough thrills from my day job," she replied, setting her dish down next to the sink.

"Afraid?" Steve asked, turning to top off Andrea's wine glass.

"No," Andrea responded a bit defiantly. "I've just… never been to an amusement park," she admitted.

"I'll have to take you to Coney Island, then," Steve decided. "That is, if you want."

"I want, Steve," Andrea assured him. "That sounds like fun."

"Good," Steve smiled. "It's a date."

Hoping to hide her grin and accompanying blush, Andrea turned to the sink to begin the dishes.

"Woah, uh-uh," Steve admonished when he realized what she was doing. "Guests don't do dishes."

Andrea deftly blocked him as Asteve tried to move in to take over.

"Sorry, Steve. Barton house rules -cook doesn't clean," she informed him.

"But-"

"No buts," she interrupted with a chuckle. "Just relax and keep me company."

"I can do that," Steve agreed, stepping away to lean against the counter and watch her work.

Andrea filled the sink with soap and water and got to work. Steve lasted a good five minutes before he broke. "You've got to at least let me dry," he insisted, setting down his wine glass and moving to Andrea's side.

"If you insist," she replied with a smile, handing him the first of the clean dishes.

They kept the conversation to a minimum as they worked - enjoying the companionable silence.

It was Steve who finally spoke. "So… you want to see me naked, huh?" he asked slyly as Andrea reached for the last dish - a plate.

Andrea's grip on the plate slips at the question and lands in the sink - sending soap suds everywhere. There's a moment of stunned silence as the pair stare at each other covered in bubbles. Then, moment breaking, they both begin to laugh.

"Here… Let me… let me get you a towel," Steve gets out as he laughs, trying to make his way towards Andy but slipping on the now water-covered floor. Andrea can't stop chuckling as she watches Steve slip and slide his way to her. When he's finally close enough, she reaches out her hand to steady him.

She can't contain her grin as she looks up into his face and sees bubbles in his hair. "You've got um… you've got something in your hair," she giggles as she points.

"Oh yeah?" he challenges, eyebrow raising, "Well you've got something all over your face."

Andrea just keeps grinning.

Steve carefully brings his hand up to her face and swipes away the bubbles, taking care to keep them out of her eyes and mouth. As he swipes the bubbles off of her nose, he holds it in front of her.

"Make a wish," he murmurs. It's then that Andrea realizes how close they're standing. She can feel the heat coming off of his body.

Suddenly nervous, she stammers, "That's… that's eyelashes, Steve."

Still holding the bubbles up in front of her, he shrugs. "We can make our own magic."

Keeping her eyes on Steve's, she leans forward just enough to blow the soap suds off of Steve's fingers.

"What'd you wish for Andy?" Steve murmurs, barely loud enough for Andrea to hear.

Andrea steels herself before answering. "This," she whispers. Pushing up onto her tiptoes, Andrea presses her lips to Steve's.

 _Finally_ , is all Andrea can think of as Steve's lips meet hers and his hands come up to frame her face. Fighting for balance, Andrea's hands shoot out to grip Steve's waist as he deepens the kiss.

Andrea feels the pleasure, the potential, of the kiss all the way to her toes. There's heat there, simmering under the surface, as the pair explore each other. Andrea's hands slide up his back. Steve's hands fist in her hair.

The kiss lasts forever and no time at all. All too soon, Steve is pulling gently back and tipping his forehead against Andrea's. They're both out of breath.

Once again, it's Steve who breaks the silence. "That was… unexpected," he murmurs, stroking her hair.

Andrea pulls back enough to look into Steve's eyes. "Bad unexpected?" she asks, suddenly overcome with nerves.

Steve's eyes show disbelief at her question. "No, Andrea," he responds gently. "Not bad. It was a great unexpected."

Andrea's smile was instant and Steve's bloomed to match it. "Good," she replied, leaning in to him.

"When can we do this again?" Steve asks into her hair.

"Have dinner or kiss in the kitchen?" she asks with a smile, once more pulling away to look at him. She'd expected awkwardness from one or both of them. She didn't feel any at all… yet.

"Both," he responds instantly. "Definitely both."

"Well, I'll have to check my busy social calendar, but I'm sure I can squeeze you in," she responded coyly.

Just as Steve opened his mouth to respond, the front door banged open and Bucky came strolling in with a smile on his face. The smile was wiped away, however, when he took in the pair standing so close in the kitchen. Andrea stepped back from Steve but refused to jump away as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Sorry," Bucky said with no sincerity whatsoever. "It's late. I thought you'd be done." He spoke directly to Steve.

"Actually, Bucky-"

"He's right, Steve," Andrea interrupted before things got even more tense. "It's late. I should get going." She backed away from Steve a few more steps before turning and walking towards the door.

"Good night, Bucky," she said as she approached the door where he stood.

"Yeah, night," Bucky mumbled, getting out of her way.

When Andrea turned to wish Steve a good night, he was coming around the counter and walking towards her. "I'm walking you home," he said.

"Steve, it's a quick elevator ride-"

"I'm walking you home," he said again, leaving no room for argument.

Andrea smiled. "As you wish," she said, opening the door and stepping out into the hall.

"I'm sorry about Bucky," Steve said once they reached the elevator. "He's…."

"Getting used to me?" she offered.

Steve sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "That's one way to put it."

"Steve, if you and I are going to be a problem for him, we can-"

"It'll be fine, Andy," he interrupted. At her dubious look, he added, "I promise."

Steve reached for Andrea's hand as the elevator doors opened and held it for the entire walk to Clint's door.

"I want to see you again," Steve said, turning to her.

"You'll probably see me tomorrow," Andrea offered.

Steve smirked. "You know what I mean."

"I want to see you again, too, Steve. We'll find the time," she answered. "I promise," she added, echoing his earlier words.

"Andrea can I-" Steve stammered, then gathered himself. "I'd like to kiss you goodnight."

Andrea's grin was bright and quick. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, feeling daring.

Steve smiled as he stepped to her, cupped her upturned face, and leaned in to her. This was barely more than a peck - a soft brushing of lips, but Andrea felt it down to her toes.

As Steve pulled away he smiled ruefully. "I'm going to go now," he said. "Before I do something we both regret."

Andrea chuckled at that but let him step away.

"Thank you for a wonderful night, Steve."

Steve smiled in response. "Goodnight, Andrea."

With that, Andrea stepped into the apartment and let the door close quietly.


End file.
